Bound By Fate
by Dark SpellMaster
Summary: A broken wrist was just the start, now with the hands of fate turning how exactly does the Godess of Fidelity deal with one like the God of Trickery? Just when things looked to get easier enter the Enchantress. Loki/Sigyn along with other pairings later.
1. Chapter 1:Arrival at Asgard

**_A/N: Marvel Comic's recently somewhat reintroduced the character of Sigyn (by the way it seems most data bases and wiki's have her hair wrong, she's a blonde) in a way that some fans are a bit annoyed by their actions. Due to this probably being another cycle of her, I figured that an update is needed as an introduction to events that will proceed in the following stories circling around Journey into Mystery with a Younger Loki. (For information regarding this series please refer to the Marvel Database Website.)_**

**_(Please note, Chapters 1-5 are now the split contents of Chapters 1-3. I did this to make the story easier to read.)_**

**_Copyright: Loki, Sigyn, and all other members of the Marvel Norse Pantheon are owned by Marvel Comics, and were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Leiber, as well as Roy Thomas and John Buscema._**

It all started with a broken wrist. No one quite knew what had happened, all anyone knew was that the young daughter of the Goddess Freya was injured and that there was going to be hell for it. The whole thing seemed innocent enough, an accident between children, nothing more or so it seemed to those who learned of the break after it happened. Only two knew the truth behind the matter, and because of this those two would be bound together even after the cycle of Ragnarok was broken, the trickster and the Goddess of Fidelity.

In Asgard there were certain feast days when members of the Asair Royalty would present their children to the All-father and his court. It was one of those days that this small accident occurred. Freya, goddess of Beauty, love, war and death, had been called upon to present one of her elder daughters, the young goddess Syn to become part of the adult society. So, in accordance to the wishes of the All-Father that families should come as well for this glorious occasion, she decided to bring the rest of her daughters: Sjofn, Lofn, Sigyn, Var and her youngest Snotra, along for the trip, after all they too would one day be presented to the All-Father and All-Mother, and her hope was to match them well to one of Odin's family.

Her eldest daughter Nanna, who had been the first to be presented now worked at the palace as one of Frigga's assistants and would visit when she had a moment or two between missions from the All-mother. When she came home Nanna would entertain the girls with many stories of the travels and adventures that she had, making the younger ones squeal with excitement. Her second eldest Idunn was married to the god Bragi, happily, and worked as keeper to the apples of Immortality in the Breidablik where the Garden of the Gods was. Freya prayed that Syn would have just as good a match, but the first step was presenting her seventeen year old daughter to the court.

The goddess glanced at Syn who was decked out in a long orange gown with gold and silver embroidery. The young woman sat up politely her blonde hair braided and twisted in a majestic upsweep which the goddess added several flowers to give her an air of innocence. She smiled at the young woman, who was the more regale of her girls, then glanced at the others with the cautious eye of a mother.

"Sjofn please don't play too much with your make-up," Freya marked to her daughter dressed in purple as the girl tried to add additional designs to the top of her lids. The girl quickly slipped the gold implement back into her bag and placed her hands on her lap, mirroring Syn, only with a quirky smile to her face.

"Yes Mother, you're right, but I _do_ want to look my best for the Princes," Sjofn added as her sister Lofn snorted some. The middle girl, two years younger than Sjofn, had darker blonde hair then her sisters and flipped her two loose braids over her shoulders. At fourteen she was more rebellious then her sisters, but Freya had assumed it came from her father's blood. Sjofn shot her younger sister a look.

"Something I said bothering you Lofn, dear sister?"

"Yes, like you will ever get close to either Prince Thor or his younger brother Loki," retorted Lofn as Sjofn's face reddened. "They have to marry someone with class Sjofn and you're decked out like one of those fancy dancers. Really now, who are you trying to impress, the other maids in the Halls of the Palace? Or is it the Crimson Guards eyes that you wish to catch with all that powder on your face?"

Sjofn's cheeks turned Crimson as their Mother snapped.

"Lofn, where are your manners! I did not teach you to speak in such a way to your sister. Apologize to her, this instant."

"Oh don't worry Mother, Lofn is just being the incorrigible brat that she always is," Sjofn commented airily and Lofn shot back.

"Did you hear what she said? Mother why should I have to apologize to someone like her, shouldn't she apologize for calling me incorrigible?"

"Lofn… Now," Freya's glare was enough to silence the younger girl as she muttered.

"Sorry for saying you look like a tramp," Lofn chuckled at her own thought just then and her laugh caught the attention of the eight year old Var who peeked back from looking out a window with her little sister Snotra.

"Mommy what does in…inc…incorabubble mean?" Asked Snotra with Var adding,"What's a Tramp?"

Freya sighed correcting her daughter, "Incorrigible dear, and don't worry about the meaning, and Var don't use that word. Young ladies don't use it."

"Does that mean Sjofn's not a lady?"

Lofn just cracked a smile and burst with a loud giggle, confusing her younger sister, while Sjofn snapped.

"Now see what you did, you have her saying silly comments."

"It's all in fun, don't you agree Sigyn?" Lofn looked at the twelve year old girl who sat beside her, who was staring out the window. Lofn nudged the girl who started, "I said isn't that right Sigyn?"

"Humm? Isn't what right?" she glanced up with a confused look as she fixed the skirt of her pink and light purple dress. Lofn rolled her eyes and repeated her question. Sigyn raised an eyebrow and shrugged some. "If you think that's fun, then I suppose to you it is."

Lofn gave her a sharp scowl then waved her hand and crossed her arms and legs pouting.

"You're no fun. Always hanging around outside waiting for him to come back, he won't you know. He's gone."

Sigyn glanced over at her sister, her blue eyes sharp with annoyance. Lofn raised her head with a smirk as Sigyn quickly stated.

"You don't know that."

"Please, he ran away and won't be back any time soon."

"You're wrong; he will come back," she looked at her mother and Syn with disquiet to her face, "won't he? He said he would, didn't he mother?"

"Sigyn, that was a long time ago-"Freya started but Syn interjected as she looked at her sister.

"What does it matter if Father comes back or not Sigyn? We have Mother and Uncle, and that should suffice. We want for nothing, so there is nothing he can bring to us that we don't have. Now please, could all you children stop chattering, you're going to upset me and then I can't look my best for the presentation."

Sigyn went silent and looked back out the window after meeting her mother's eyes for a moment. There was a slight sadness to the goddess bright blue eyes, the same eyes she and her sister's shared, and Sigyn looked away only to hear Lofn say quietly.

"What did I do?"

"We will discuss your actions at home," Freya's curt reply cut through the silence as the carriage traveled swiftly over the land that made up the more majestic area of Asgard. Sigyn took a glance over at her younger sisters as they '_ooo_' and '_aahhhed_' over all the golden buildings that they passed as they made their way to the palace. She regarded them with a slight ambivalence. It wasn't that she wasn't impressed by the looks of things, the capital was an amazing place filled with shops and palaces the likes most had never seen. Gilded roofs of gold sparkled with a heavenly glow, and people dressed in a rainbow of colors rushed about the streets filling them with a rainbow of their own making. Stain glass and crystal windows twinkled down at the group in the royal carriage, making the inside twinkle with a kaleidoscope of colors. Sigyn smile quietly at the reactions of her youngest sister as she tried to grab for the dancing lights.

She'd seen this before, two times already and the few times during feasts that Freya had taken them to the city for holidays and events. Her mother liked to live farther out near some nature since she was at the main palace for several months of the year. It was during these times that her children would not see her and her hand maidens would care for them in her place. When Sigyn could see her mother she had to deal with competition from her elder sisters and younger sisters all whom were vying for attention. Unlike Lofn, who enjoyed getting any form of attention, Sigyn would try to wait till her mother had a moment to sit in their garden to go talk to her. Here she could relax in her mother's arms as they talked about the many different sorts of creatures that lived in their gardens, and listen to the sound of the birds calling. The songs used to be tempered by the sounds of her father hammering away in his workshop creating magnificent pieces of jewelry for her mother to wear.

Sigyn never really had a problem seeing her father, he was always home for them as his workshop had been moved to a shed at the farthest part of the garden. Sigyn would frequent it to watch him work, seeing him pound gold and shape it into strange and beautiful objects that he would sell for a high price in the capital. She recalled the warm smiles he would cast her as she would kick her then small feet against the wooden stool she sat on to the rhythm of his hammer hits. They had an interesting relationship, balance in that unlike her sisters, who would enjoy the loud and over the top activities of the capital, Sigyn preferred the slow rhythmic bangs of her father's shop and the preferable isolation of it as well. Unlike the city with its garish lights, the shop was dimly lit with a warm fire light that cast shadows around the brick walls. Some of the time, while he was waiting for a piece to cool, her father would create shadow puppets on the wall to regale her with tales from his homeland.

Sigyn loved her father, anyone could see it, and so it was the hardest for her when he was no longer around. She was the one who discovered him missing in those months after Snotra was born. She was also the last to see him in the quiet of his shop as he looked at a scroll in his calloused hands. She'd asked what it was he was reading, but he wouldn't tell her and enveloped her in a hug, reminding her of how much he loved her and wished she would grow into a strong and wonderful woman of integrity and fidelity, independent but loyal to those she loved and cared for. She didn't understand it at the time, and even now five years later she still didn't.

"We're here!" Sjofn's gasp shook Sigyn awake from her daydreams, and she looked out of the window as Lofn leaned over her shoulder.

"Gods did they make it fancier then last time we were here?" the older girl asked as Sigyn scrunched her face.

"You're crushing me Lofn."

"Don't be such a priss, it's not that bad." Sigyn felt her sister shove her closer to the window, and Sigyn shoved back, only to have Lofn push down harder on her, "Such a baby."

"I am not!" Sigyn exclaimed as she inhaled some of the perfume that Lofn was wearing.

"Are so."

Sigyn was about to respond when a squeal from Var quieted her. She glanced out, trying to root her way up from Lofn's pressure hold on her back and ignore the slight pain in her arms and chest from being shoved heavily against the door of the carriage. Lofn was right on the point about the changes of the palace of the All-father. The last time she had been there when Idunn had been married the palace was simpler, looking more like a castle of old, with spires and parapets that bowed this way and that. Now it looked more like a set of many magical palaces from the books that her Father read to her as a child before putting her to sleep with Lofn.

The glittering roofs sparkled with rainbow light, diamond her Mother told them, as the sun's rays reflected against them. Towering spires that once reached up to the tips of the clouds now rose above them and Sigyn wasn't sure where they stopped and the sky started. Glass windows with lead designs glistened and cast bright colored lights around the golden walls and towers that seemed to go on for an eternity. Sigyn beheld the palace's arches that gleamed with fanciful painted mosaics, etching of silver and gold flowed down from the tops of flying buttresses and gold spun cloths hung off of parapets with banners that were branded with the marking of the All-Father. Bridges to smaller cathedral like buildings that floated in the air had flags and garlands of fresh flowers acting as a cover. Freya pointed out the different Halls; including Bragi's where Idunn lived. As amazing as the sight of the smaller halls was to Sigyn nothing prepared her for the sight of the All-father's palace in the center of it all.

"Splendid," Syn said in awe matching her younger sister's expression. The giant structure seemed to go on forever. It was clear that the best material had been saved for this palace. Freya's carriage passed through a gate of perfect silver which seemed to grow up like flowers from the ground. Like the other smaller halls the Palace of Odin had walls of gold that shone brilliantly, silver details in the masonry seemed to dance in the light of the noon sun, and the windows were even more perfect then their brethren's. The palace was clearly the envy of all the smaller structures, but each piece of the large complex made the palace seem even more magical. There was a sublime artistry to a strange balanced chaos, and as the carriage rode up to the doors of the main hall, Sigyn could see that the doors carved from metal that depicted a grand image of the capital itself in details so minute she was sure it had taken eons to create.

"We're here," Lofn declared as the carriage stopped, "Move along Sigyn, you're in my way."

Sigyn didn't have a moment to think as the door was suddenly yanked open and she tumbled out into the arms of a waiting footman who gave her a nod asking if she was alrigt. Syn and Sjofn sighed loudly as they got out inquiring about their sister.

"I'm fine," Sigyn smoothed her skirt and hair, which now had come loose from the fishtail that she had pulled from the sides of her hair to keep it from flying in her face.

"Well please try to have more decorum," Syn said sharply as she took the second footman's hand and Lofn followed her out smirking. "I do not want to have my presentation messed up because you fell over yourself and got hurt."

Sigyn glanced at Lofn as she quickly nodded to her elder sister.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Freya waved them on quickly as she got out of the carriage.

"Girl's behind me. We don't have time to dally today. You're sister needs to get to the maiden's chamber before she's presented with the others."

The six girls got into a loose formation, Freya holding Var's hand and Var holding onto Snotra's.

"Are we going to see the All-father too?" the five year old asked as she pulled some at the twin braids in her hair.

"No I think only Syn gets to, right Mommy?" Var looked up at her mother who nodded.

"So what about the rest of us?" Sjofn pouted and Syn glanced at her sister with a raised eyebrow as Sjofn added hastily and with a bit of a huff, "Well it's not fair that you'll be with all the best looking men in Asgard."

"Sjofn you and Lofn will be attending a smaller feast," Freya instructed, and glanced at Lofn, "And please don't go making the young men there feel inadequate."

"It's not my fault that their brains match the size of their, "Lofn started and Syn cut her short with a loud cough, motioning to the younger girls there. Lofn rolled her eyes finishing, "feet."

"Regardless I want you to behave. You are the daughters of a Goddess, so act like it," her Mother insisted. Sigyn, who was taking up the back asked simply.

"And what of myself, Var and Snotra? Where are we going to be?"

"You'll be with me," said a familiar voice from behind them. Sigyn looked over her shoulder and broke into a smile seeing Idunn standing there in her simple red dress and long shawl. Snotra jumped up and ran to her sister first, who bent down, followed by Var as they embraced her in a hug.

"Idunn!"

"Did you miss me?"

"Yes, yes," nodded the youngest sister as Var giggled.

"Do we get to see the new puppy, Bragi got you?"

Idunn grinned, "Yes, you'll be staying in the gardens by me, okay?"

The two girls cheered as Idunn stood up to hug Sigyn who had come over to them. Idunn, the gentlest of her elder sisters, had always held a special place in Sigyn's heart. It was Idunn who had urged her to study up on the understandings of their father's crafts. Idunn advised her to recognize the different types of metals, and what properties they had, particularly which were best for weapons and armor, as well as which had the best and strongest magical implementations for use to create charms and protective barriers for the warriors to use in battle. She also was the first to help Sigyn recognize her talent of dream prophesying. Though it was not as strong as some of the best in Asgard, when it came to being right Sigyn's dreams never faulted in coming true, and for that she was both grateful and displeased. Having the ability to dream of events to come scared her, she hated when the dreams became frightening and she knew that someone was going to get hurt.

"You're looking well," Idunn commented after they had bid farewell to their mother and were walking to the gardens of Breidabilk. Sigyn gave a weak nod and Idunn put her hand on her shoulder, "Did Lofn say something again?"

Sigyn blinked, "You can tell?"

"I can always tell, I'm your sister," Idunn laughed and squeezed her shoulder. "I've been watching you since you were born," She smiled some as Bragi came out to welcome them and hugged his two young sister-in-laws. "Come, we shall eat, and then you can tell me about it."

Sigyn gave a nod; after eating a delicious meal of venison and various fruit dishes, the two sisters retired to one of Idunn's rooms where Sigyn joined her on a window seat. Here Idunn became serious and folded her hands on top of Sigyn's as she spoke. "Now what happened?"

"She mentioned father again."

Sigyn looked down rather ashamed at how she had reacted in the carriage.

"I see," was all Idunn said and seemed to go into thought. "You know Lofn is just saying things to get to you?"

"What if she's right? What if he doesn't come back?" Sigyn asked her and Idunn sucked in some air between her teeth as Sigyn looked at her directly. "Tell me true sister, do you think he will return?"

Idunn looked outside and paused for a long moment as if thinking it over, and when she looked back she shook her head slowly. This caused Sigyn to pull her hands back from Idunn's with surprise. Idunn had always been one to say there was a chance, after all their father had been a true noble man in words and deeds, he would never simply desert their family in such a horrible manner. Not even saying goodbye.

"W-why would you say that?" Sigyn stammered and Idunn took a moment as if trying to think of a way to reply.

"Because, while our father is a noble man I believe something does not permit him to return. I do not know, but Bragi tells me that there are… _rumors_…I cannot say more until I have proof, but I have a sick feeling that Father left to keep the peace."

"Keep the peace?" Sigyn wasn't sure what this meant as Idunn tried to explain.

"Father and Mother, they are both nobles, but different. So long as Father was here they were happy, but that didn't mean that those where he was from felt that his happiness mattered. I suspect that he did not wish to leave, but duty may have called him home, and there he stays until the day that they no longer need him."

"Then we should go find him," Sigyn stated getting up as balled her fist at her side. "Mother is the Goddess of War, she can raise an army and …"

"No, that would not be wise," Idunn waved aside the idea. Sigyn gave her a confused look.

"Why not, the Asgard warriors are some of the strongest in all the nine realms. Do you not think that they couldn't find one man?"

"No they could, that is the problem," Idunn glanced out in the garden where Bragi was with the children and puppy. She looked back at Sigyn with a worried furrow to her brow. "If Lord Odin mounted his army to locate our father that could be seen as an act of war, and do you not think that it would cost other families their fathers if such a thing were to occur?"

"Well…"

"And would it not cause strife between two sides?" Idunn coaxed her and Sigyn thought a moment.

"Yes but…" Sigyn sighed and lowered her head as she sat back down feeling rather defeated. "It's not fair. We don't know what happened, or where he is. All I want is to see him, is that so bad sister?"

Idunn shook her head slowly, and picked up Sigyn's chin gently wiping her tears aside with her fingers before they slipped down her cheek.

"No it is not, but you must consider if that would be what Father wished. He left for a reason; he would not leave unless he felt it was for the best of all. I do not think he would want an army of good men dying on his behalf, Sigyn." Sigyn gave a short nod as Idunn smiled gently. "Come, there are many things you'll like about the gardens, beside the fruit of course."


	2. Chapter 2: Arrow in a tree

**A/N: Chapters 1-5 are splits of Chapters 1-3, if you have already read these chapters please move onto Chapter 6. Thank you.**

**Copyright: Asgard and all of Thor's characters are owned by Marvel Comics and their creators.  
**

It was some time later in the day that Sigyn was wandering around by herself in the gardens of Breidablik and thinking over her discussion with Idunn. Var and Snotra were happily playing with the puppy as Idunn watched them. At her sister's urging Sigyn had gone walking to look at the various trees and wild life that grew in the garden of the All-father. Though she admired the trees where the golden apples hung, and the flowers and creatures that wandered lazily through the idyllic place, her mind was far deeper in thought on the matters regarding the rumors that her sister had heard.

_What were they_, she had to wonder, _and why are there rumors of father at all? Especially given the fact it's been five years since he vanished? What is going on?_

The whole thing bothered her and as she sat down on stone bench to consider things her hand brushed across a bow that was at rest next to her. Sigyn regarded the elegant green weapon that sat beside her.

"Why would anyone leave you here, and where is your quiver?"

Sigyn got up and bent down to search about the bench, puzzled. Her uncle Frey had insisted years ago about teaching his nieces archery as a way of protecting themselves and their home. While the capital city was safe, there were chances of the many other lands coming and breaking in the outlaying grounds and in the event that happened Frey wanted his nieces to be able to defend themselves. Sigyn knew that archers never left their bow out in the open like this, and the oddly missing arrows were not something that an archer would do either.

Why leave a bow and no arrow, or am I just missing them? She wondered and was about to pick it up when she heard a loud chuckle and stood up.

"Who's there? Would you please come out and show yourself?" Sigyn looked about, partly hoping it was just some random bird or animal, but then noticed some of the bushes rustling nearby. It was from there that the laugher was coming. Her mother had told her once when she was younger that when you wanted answers you had to ask for them, and if asking nice didn't work then using her position as a daughter of a goddess was warranted. Holding her head high and standing as tall as her small frame would allow she loudly proclaimed to the bushes. "I demand that you show yourself right now!"

"On whose orders?" laughed the voice from the bushes; Sigyn felt her face go flush as she stammered out.

"O-on the orders o-of the daughter of the Goddess Freya."

"Oh which one are you?" chuckled a second voice which made her flush even more, "She has many I hear."

"Just come out, I know you are there, and don't you dare talk of my mother in that way."

The bushes parted as two girls stepped out, one in a silk dress of white and lavender, the other in a pale blue and silver gown that looked far more expensive than what a girl her age should have been wearing. Both had brown hair that hung over their shoulders in waves and the one in Lavender spoke first.

"So which daughter are you?"

Sigyn sized them up before answering. Both looked only a bit older than her, at most a year, and both wore an arrogant smirk on their faces. It was clear they were siblings, though she had little contact with girls from the palace so she didn't know who she was addressing. Still Sigyn curtsied slightly at the girls, who gave her a nod back.

"I am Sigyn daughter of the goddess Freya."

"And the Dwarf Iwaldi," the girl in pale blue dress corrected and smirked; her brown eyes mirthfully shining with pleased amusement. Sigyn scowled at this comment and said as calmly as she could get her tone to sound.

"My father Iwaldi was a Prince and a great craftsman. I'm sure you have heard of him for his art work?"

"Oh yes," leered the first. "We have heard all about his works, but how odd that something so beautiful could come from something so ugly."

"I wonder sister, did her mother sleep with him with her eyes closed, or highly drunk?" the second chimed in and the first snickered.

Sigyn's mouth gapped open and she snapped it shut as the girls began to titter. Her brows narrowed and she clenched her fists tightly feeling the nails dig into the fleshy part of her palm.

"H...How Dare You! How dare you insult my Mother in such a way! Have you no respect for a Goddess? Just who are you two to mock my family?"

"I am Lari and this is Seli, we are the sisters of Nari a well-placed hand maiden in the service of the All-Mother Frigga," the first introduced. The second nodded and giggled.

"Lari look her face is turning as red as a dwarfs skin." Seli commented and moved closer to Sigyn lifting up her skirt some. "And look at her dress, wasn't this in fashion like a few years ago?"

"I think they are called hand me downs, sister, thank goodness we don't need to have them." Lari cooed coming over giggling. "So why is the Dwarf Princess in this garden? Only people of importance come here."

"Then I see that they have changed their policy as they apparently allow riff-raff to wander. I'll have to tell my sister of that," Sigyn spat back coldly as she moved back a step from the girls and glared heatedly at them.

Leri sniffed some at this and Seli sneered then clucked her tongue.

"Only such words would come from a heathen like you. You're not even a full Asair, how dare you even speak to us in those terms."

Sigyn held her head up high again and crossed her arms as she stared down at the two girls, "I dare."

Lari and Seli looked at one another then burst out laughing. Sigyn frowned deeply at this.

"Why do you laugh?"

"You're amusing girl, I heard that dwarfs were funny but you're beyond hilarious." Seli gigged as Lari piped in.

"You can't honestly think someone like you has a right to talk to us in such a tone. Even if your mother is a Goddess you're not a full blooded Asair. No one in their right mind would take someone like a Dwarf Princess seriously."

"Take me seriously or not, I shall tell my sister of your transgression as she is Idunn, wife of Bragi the keeper of this garden, and she will surely throw you out."

Leri seemed to roll her eyes at this and then walked around Sigyn forcing her to turn and giving Seli the chance to push her from behind. "What will you do to us? Get us thrown out? Now that is rich."

Sigyn turned to face her attacker and felt her hair sharply pulled from behind her. As she let out a yelp of pain Seli gave her another shove that sent her back into Leri who caught her, whispering in her ear.

"So what is it like to be the daughter of a whore?"

At this Sigyn turned to take a swing at Leri but the older girl stepped out of this and laughed shoving her hard to her sister who yanked her hair this time pulling the tail out of its hold. Sigyn gritted her teeth and whirled throwing a punch at the girl. If there was one thing she had learned from Lofn it was how to defend herself from outright attacks. But these girls were faster and clearly meant to harm her. Seli let out a cackle as she evaded the punch and shoved Sigyn hard against a tree, the younger girl pushed herself up and charged at them with the intent to slap, punch or hit them in any way that she could, but they still managed to dance away from her laughing all the while and calling her names, "Dwarf Princess," "Whore's daughter," "Cow", "Bitch", "Daughter of a troll."

Her emotions seized her and Sigyn launched herself at the girls who now stood before the bench. They parted ways as she tried to skid to a halt, only for Sigyn to hit the front of the bench with a WHUD!, making her lose her breath. She was sure that she had heard a rip from her dress when she landed and when she looked back she indeed saw that part of her skirt was torn, as was her sleeve from the fall. She heard the two girls laughing gaily at their fun and starting to walk away.

"Well that was amusing sister, where shall we go next?" Seli asked and Leri responded nastily.

"Anywhere else sister, so- long as we don't have to smell the stench of that Dwarf girl."

Sigyn could hear their cruel laughter in her ears and she looked down at the bow that was still lying on the bench ready to be used. Sigyn's hand shakily grasped the smooth wood and felt the curve of it in her palm. She blinked seeing some arrows that had been resting on the grass below the bench and picked one up. Rising she turned and knocked it taking aim at the girls, her hand shook even as she tried to take a steady aim.

_Just one shot, _Sigyn thought as she pulled back the arrow._ One shot, it doesn't have to hit them, just scare them. Maybe their foot, or their arm_….

As she was thinking this, trembling, something seemed to enter the area. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was different. The air changed and Leri and Seli seemed to feel it too as they started to turn. Sigyn realized that if they did they would scream and she might let loose her arrow. A tense feeling caught in her throat and she prayed that they would not turn.

Please don't…please…She was thinking when she felt what could have been a hand pushing her arm up some and a voice in her ear whispering.

"I think this game has gone on long enough, don't you agree?"

Sigyn was so startled by this that she loosed the arrow and it flew in the air hitting one of the trees, embedding itself in a branch above her head. The two girls heard this and turned to see her standing there with the bow in her hand. Seli was about to scream something, but she stopped dead and gaped. Sigyn blinked and then saw Leri's face twist into something terribly terrified and the girl let out a blood curdling scream.

"No! Stay away, eat her, and don't eat us!" Seli shrieked as she dragged her sister way running as fast as she could. "Eat her she's food!"

Sigyn stared at them with a cocked eyebrow, and then looked down at her feet to see a strange angular shadow coming over her. She took the bow in both hands and whirled to face the creature that was behind her only to blink in surprise seeing a boy only a little older then Lofn standing there in a green and gold outfit smirking as if he had just heard the funniest joke ever. His black hair was slightly disheveled and his green eyes seemed to be a mix of mirthful laughter and something a bit darker under the surface. He chuckled and crossed his arms looking up at the tree where the arrow was.

"Well you certainly are a good shot; though you don't play games very well do you." He said and planted his hands on the bench to look up at her as if to examine her face. "So I wonder, were you really going to shoot them, or just scare them, Lady Sigyn, daughter of Freya?"

Sigyn took a step back from him, he was a bit too close for her taste, yet she gave him a courteous bow and he nodded with a coy smirk on his lips.

"You seem to know me, who am I addressing then?"

The boy looked surprised and stood up, perplexed.

"You don't know who I am?" When she shook her head he smiled some for a second then gave a gracious bow. Sigyn took a good look at him now that he was farther back and regarded that he did have a charming and slightly handsome face, something noble almost regale about the way he stood, yet he was wiry and certainly didn't have the form of a fighter. She waited as he rose from the bow and grinned.

"May I present myself then, Prince Loki Odinson at your service, Lady Sigyn."

Sigyn's brow furrowed for a second, and then with a look of embarrassed shock she quickly curtsied to him lowering her head.

"My Prince I…I am so sorry for not recognizing you. The last time I was here I was but of eight years of age so I did not remember your face. Please do forgive me."

Glancing up she noticed that Loki looked a tad bit pleased by this sudden bow, but then sat down on the bench as she stood up. He grinned in a devilish way that made Sigyn wonder what he found so amusing. Then again, her mother had warned her of this boy. He was the youngest son of Odin, the trickster as her mother was want to call him, known for his pranks as well as his silver tongue, which, by at least Nanna's accounts, charm even the most dangerous of beasts into willingly listening to his lies.

"No need to forgive, though it is good not to forget my face," he motioned for her to sit and when she didn't move he crossed his legs, spun around and laid down on the bench taking all of it up with his tall figure. He let out a relaxing sigh and put his arms behind his head before asking, "You didn't answer my question though my dear, and what should I address you as?"

"Sigyn is fine if you please, my lord." Sigyn gave a nod and his lips curled up in an amused way.

"Sigyn, it has a nice ring to it, very melodic. Well then, Sigyn, would you be willing to tell me if you were or were not going to shoot them?"

"I…I do not know," she admitted as he sat up looking at her from behind lidded eyes, clearly not impressed with her answer.

"Really? Is that all? You don't know?"

Sigyn flushed slightly at this and gripped the bow tightly.

"That's a rather rude thing of you to say, my Prince."

"I'm a rather rude person, so I've been told," he smirked some at this and Sigyn felt a bit tense at the way he watched her. His tone changed suddenly into something a bit more jovial as he looked up at the arrow. "I'd say…you probably wouldn't have hit them, they were a bit far off for someone of your age to hit, but-" he paused and tapped his chin regarding the arrow, "-You certainly had the intent of something given the way it embedded itself in the tree. I'm not sure your sister will be too happy about that, let alone the fact that you were willing to commit murder."

"I was not," she exclaimed and scowled some. Loki chuckled and got up moving closer to her.

"Oh, really? I was watching everything, and it seemed that you certainly had no love for those two," he said softly to her as he backed her up to the tree and leaned one arm on it to stare into her eyes. Sigyn held her breath unsure of what he was going to do. There was an odd playfulness to the bright green that stared at her, but there was also a cunning that she was a bit afraid of. He wasn't someone to play around with, not in the least.

Finding her voice Sigyn held the top of the bow up under his chin stating, "If you saw what was going on, why did you not stop it my lord? You are of a noble house, surely you could see what those girls were saying was wrong? Why then did you not step in to at least defend my mother's honor from them?"

Loki's eyes traveled from hers to the bow and then back up. His smirk twisted into a very clever smile as his eyes lit up with amusement.

"Because Sigyn, I was thinking of doing so, but you were doing a good job defending her yourself I thought it might be wiser to watch and see what happened."

"So you just let them call me names," Sigyn started heatedly and he held up his free hand to silence her, and then explained in a more gentle tone of voice.

"I wasn't sure what that was about, however what they said was not right, and on behalf of my Mother, I am sorry for what they said. I will mention that to her," his smirk returned then, "However you seemed to hold your own until the end. Perhaps you need more lessons on how to deal with wretches like them."

"I should rather not like to deal with them at all, girls like that have no place being treated with respect when they show none to others," Sigyn pointed out and Loki raised an eyebrow at this, the grin still on his face. She wondered why he was so pleased.

"Indeed, I must say I was impressed though with the fact that you still stood up to them. When I saw you talking to them I figured you were Idunn's sister, you have her graceful air about you, but you're far more like your sister Nanna, yes? Far more independent, though you hold your anger quite well until literally push comes to shove. I like that in a person, not afraid to say something…"

He leaned in close to her ear to whisper, "Though you do need work in playing games, young Sigyn, I can show you how…"

Sigyn flushed and was about to say something when his words were cut short by a loud cough. Loki turned to see a young man with dark brown hair and cool hazel eyes staring at them. He was dressed in the red garb of a young squire for the Crimson Hawks. The older boy glanced between Loki and Sigyn, and then looked at her directly.

"My dear friend Sigyn, are you alright? The Prince hasn't been bothering you has he?" the young man asked her and Sigyn felt something in her chest relax as she slipped away from Loki and ran to hug the young man.

"Theoric! I'm so glad to see you." She smiled up at the man who had been friends with her since she was small and at one time had tried to win Syn's hand. What Sigyn failed to see was the jealous look that passed in the young Prince's green eyes as he surveyed this happy scene.


	3. Chapter 3: A Game of Chance

_**A/N: Apologies for the long chapter, however it plays into parts of the story that will become critical later on. Hinel is not a character from Marvel or Norse myth, but rather my own creation, please be kind to the big lunk head, he knows not who he challenges.**_

_**(Chapters 1-3 have been split into chapters 1-5. Chapter 6 is the newest chapter.)**_

_**Copyright: All Norse Gods are owned by MarvelComics, Loki, Thor and others were created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas and John Buscema**_

"So it seems we won't be able to attend the ceremony after all," Loki heard Balder say with a sigh as the group of friends stood outside the doors to the great main hall. Loki stood off to the side, and watched as a blonde boy with a goatee clapped the younger man on the shoulder as he teased him with a rueful smile on his lips.

"You're just sad because you can't see Lady Freya's eldest daughter Nanna, aren't you?"

The brown haired boy of fifteen flushed deeply as the others laughed.

"That's not true at all Fandrel," the boy looked to the blonde that had just addressed him, "I…It's just that I think it's not right that we can't attend the event like the rest of the court."

"But we're not _of_ the court yet, Balder" a black haired beauty remarked as she leaned on an adjacent pillar and looked at Balder who shook his head.

"Yes, Sif I get that, but Thor and Loki are the _Princes_, and they aren't even allowed in. Don't you think that's a bit, I don't know, dumb? I mean they're going to be ruling one day; shouldn't they at least know what's going on? Or who's going to be part of the court when they take over?"

"I'd rather not be stuffed in there with a bunch of people who have no sense of humor," Loki drawled from his corner crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, what do we care what they do in there? It's probably boring as hell to be honest I'm sure."

"Maybe," Fandrel smirked some, "but there were sure some pretty ladies going in there, wouldn't you say Thor?"

Loki looked over at his brother who was sitting on a small ledge by one of the columns. The blonde sixteen year old smiled, got up, and stretched his long limbs.

"Aye, but I have to agree with Loki on this one," this comment made Loki pause. He was agreeing with him? It wasn't a first per-say, but it wasn't often that Thor agreed with him on something, at least since they'd gotten older. Loki stood up and stared as Thor continued. "Knowing the guests that are in there we'd probably have to be very –_mature_ –and no doubt be perfect gentlemen and ladies."

"Look who's talking, I am a perfect lady," Sif teased and the others laughed.

Loki tilted his head regarding them. The group had grown up together, though Loki always felt a little left out to the group. He was a year younger than his brother, being the same age as Balder, though taller than the brown haired boy. He was different, not built for pure strength like his older brother, but far more evasive and strong in magic and ranged attacks. His magic skills were some of the best in all of Asgard and that was thanks to his Mother getting him tutors to help him master what his talent had been. His brother was the warrior, skilled in weapons and attacking, where as he was viewed more for strategist, someone with the knowledge to maneuver the chess pieces, or fighters in this case, across the battle field to victory. Not that his swordsmanship was anything to sneeze at, he could still go toe to toe with his brother in sparing, but he knew that if he didn't use his magic if they were in a real battle Thor would probably pound him out of existence.

"Indeed Sif, if _you_ are a perfect lady, then I would hesitate to meet an improper one," Thor teased, and gave the young woman a wink. Loki tried to not be obvious in gagging. He was, in his own ways, happy for his brother enjoying Sif's company; he still didn't quite understand why Thor liked the stubborn woman all that much. They didn't get along very well, Sif and Loki, at least not after his prank of cutting her hair short one night after she said she was just as much of a boy as they were.

"Well you said you wanted to be one," he had told her as she heatedly attacked him with her practice sword. Since then, while she had forgiven him for the prank, she didn't trust him and it was obvious in her actions from time to time. It didn't stop her from respecting his skills though, and he hers, but neither could call the other best friend. Loki, even though all had been smoothed over, had been severally punished for his crime by having his hair cut short too before the court, much to his Mother and brother's distress. Thor could be a jerk to him, but even for all his ego and bravado when it came to Loki the elder boy truly did love his brother, and so offered himself in Loki's place, but was told by Odin that Loki had to pay for his crime. Loki still had a scar on his scalp from the fool that had cut his hair off.

He was reaching up to touch the spot when Fandrel snapped his fingers before him. Loki looked up at the jovial boy in green who smiled.

"Welcome back Sleeping Beauty, thinking deep thoughts again?"

"When is my brother _not_ thinking deep thoughts," Thor laughed heartily and put his arm around Loki's shoulders. "He is the smartest man in Asgard I would say."

"Heh, I think others would challenge him to that," Fandrel chuckled and Loki smirked.

"Care to challenge my intellect then Fandrel?"

"I would, but I don't think we will have time to," Fandrel motioned to a woman coming their way. The group quickly took up a more mature position as a handmaiden to Frigga came to greet them. Bowing to her Thor took her hand.

"Well met Nari, what brings you to this area of the halls? I thought you would be helping with the presenters today."

The young woman smiled cheerfully, and Fandrel eyed her, "Don't tell me you've come to admire the dashing Fandrel? I heard rumor that you enjoyed my company at the last party."

Nari gave him a kind smile as she shook her head.

"I'm sure you wish that were true Fandrel," Loki, Sif, and Balder chuckled as Fandrel's face fell some, "I am here on a slightly more pressing matter," Nari glanced up at Thor, "I bring word from the All-Father that he wishes you and your friends to attend a smaller feast for the younger siblings and other guests of those in the ceremony."

"Ah," Thor said and Loki grumbled in a lower voice.

"So Father is shoving us to the children's room is he, typical."

Nari regarded Loki and shook her head as she looked back to the others. Bowing, she held her hand out.

"I'm to take you to the event, if you would follow."

"Of course," Thor smiled, "We will be right behind you."

"Thank you," Nari said and turned to lead them down past some pillars and to a different hall that had many large windows looking out at the bridge to Breidablik. The group made their way slowly after the handmaid, Thor and Sif in the lead with Balder and Fandrel in the middle and Loki taking up the rear. He put his arms behind his head stretching; he knew he was going to hate this little gathering. They seemed to do this every year, but in the past the group could get away from it as they were too young to attend either this party or the main event in the great hall. He'd heard about it from the various members of the court that did attend, and to him it sounded like a bunch of snobby rich kids showing off their money and trying to one up one another. To his pleasure he wasn't the only one feeling this way.

"Hey Fandrel do you think we can ditch this?" asked Balder, normally the one who was the least likely to ask to leave an event. Fandrel glanced at Nari to see if she was listening and stage whispered to Balder.

"I should hope so. Maybe we can get Loki to cause a distraction for us to leave?"

"I can certainly do that," Loki responded making Balder look back.

"You were eavesdropping again?"

"You two whisper loud enough I think even our grandmother could hear you."

"Your grandmother is dead," Fandrel pointed out and Loki grinned.

"Exactly."

Balder rolled his eyes and looked to see if Sif or Thor could hear them, then asked.

"So can you make it happen? Can you cause a distraction for us?"

Loki nodded and Fandrel gave him an approving gesture. A distraction was nothing for the Prince of tricks. The problem would be teleporting them all out without exhausting himself. He still had a long way to go regarding that. Teleporting himself and two others was tiring, but getting them all out in one moment, that was going to take some extra oomph.

Loki slowed a pace to think; the distraction couldn't be too chaotic, that would get the guards down there and the first persons they would look for would be Thor and himself. He grimaced, this would have to be something simple and cunning, but nothing too simple, he didn't want a plan that even a buffoon with _some_ level of intelligence could figure out. But if it were too clever he might be found out based on how well the game was played. Hence he would need something that the twits in the room could find enjoyable but still could cause some havoc.

He paused by a window that had a direct view of the bridge below them, and leaned on the glass to stare down at four figures that crossed. Two were little girls that were dressed in yellow and light green dresses; the smaller of them was hopping over the different colored stones, clearly playing a game. He slightly smiled at this recalling the times he and Thor, as boys, raced over that same bridge.

Pulling his eyes from the little girls he took in the two figures that followed them. The woman in red he recognized as Bragi's wife Idunn. He liked her, smart, funny, and kind. She reminded him of his mother in many ways and had thought that if she and Bragi had a child then that child would become one of the luckiest in the whole of Asgard. He turned his green eyes on the second figure then, a girl a bit younger than he was, with the same blonde hair as Idunn, wearing a pink and purple dress. He frowned somewhat watching her, something in her walk told him that she was troubled. She had her shoulders hunched down and a slower step then her sister. Idunn gave her a pat on the shoulder and the girl looked up at her. The two seemed to talk for a moment, and then Idunn turned to point up at where he was watching.

The girl turned her head and Loki stared at her. She was attractive that much was sure, she looked familiar too; he just couldn't place it. His contemplation was stalled by a clap on his shoulder by his brother.

"Brother, what are you admiring from here?" Thor looked out and saw the group then nodded as if understanding. "Ah Lady Idunn, quite lovely, though married."

Loki rolled his eyes and gave Thor a lidded look that he only reserved for his brother when he felt he was being more of a dunce than normal. Thor chuckled.

"I know that Thor," he flicked his fingers at the girl that was with Idunn, "but who are the children with her?"

"Ah, well, I believe they are the youngest daughters of Lady Freya," Thor pointed to the girl in yellow who had been skipping. "I believe Mother said that little one is Snotra, and the one in green is the next youngest called Var."

"I see, and the one with Idunn?" Loki inquired innocently, though he wondered how Thor knew these girls names.

"She is called Sigyn, or is she Lofn…Hummm, well she's one or the other." He noticed that his brother had raised an eyebrow and Thor looked sheepish. "You're probably wondering how I know their names."

"Probably," Loki nodded as he and Thor hurried to catch up with the others. "I didn't think you're the type to memorize all the people that work here…and their families."

Thor bolstered himself saying with a smart grin.

"Well it's good for the future ruler to know the names of those that work for him…" Loki again met his gaze with an amused and smug smirk.

"Brother you are a terrible liar, you know that."

Thor let out a huff, "Well compared to you, everyone is."

"True," a smug smile slipped on his face then serious inquired, "Truthfully, how do you know them? I haven't seen you speaking to Lady Freya…ever…outside of when you have to, so how?"

Thor crossed his arms and tilted his head as Loki watched him think. It was like seeing a windup toy when the gears were spinning and grinding trying to make the mechanisms work, though they took a while to get moving. Finally Thor looked ahead and pulled Loki aside, the younger man was quick to follow confused as his brother lowered his voice.

"I would rather the others not know about this," he began to explain and Loki smirked.

"If you're embarrassed by it, it must be quiet interesting."

Thor tapped him sharply on his forehead and Loki dully said, "Ouch", before rubbing the spot and allowing his brother to continue.

"I don't want the others knowing because, well…if word gets back to Father he'll want me to have longer hours studying."

"And Gods know you can't get any more intelligent then you already are."

Thor shot Loki a sharp look as the trickster grinned holding in a laugh.

"Do you want me to tell you or not?"

"I am sorry brother, you were saying," Loki gave him the most sincere apologetic look he could muster given that he wanted so badly to laugh. Thor cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder again before turning back to Loki and continuing.

"My tutor had a date, so he gave me time off, and Mother found me out of class and asked me to join her and her handmaidens as they goss…" –he corrected himself quickly –"discussed matters regarding some of the other members of the court. Lady Freya's name and her daughter's names came up. Her third eldest is one of the participants in the ceremony today."

Loki twitched some, it wasn't as good as he had hoped, after all he could always blackmail his brother for certain things, but this didn't seem worth it. He stood up from the bending position he'd lowered himself in following Thor's motion so the two could whisper discretely. Thor gave him a puzzled look.

"What?"

"That's it? That's what you're embarrassed about? That you were for a day a gossiping hen?"

Thor gave him an annoyed look, "T'was embarrassing to me brother. You try sitting with them for a day and seeing if you could take their talks. Women can be more vicious then frost giants."

Loki waved his hands and walked backwards smirking.

"Not I brother, I wouldn't dream of taking your place in the gossip circle. I'm sure you'll be invited again to discuss how you keep that lovely sheen in your hair."

Thor raised an eyebrow then lunged at him playfully as Loki dodged, laughed, and ran down the hall with Thor at his heels. When he finally caught the prankster he gave him a bear hug that nearly crushed Loki's bones as he lifted him up laughing.

"Oh seems I have caught the slippery snake."

Loki gasped out and quickly teleported out of Thor's grasp, standing up a foot or so away from him. "Snakes have very flexible bones dear brother, keep that in mind."

"Trickster," Thor muttered and gave his head a hard knock, Loki rubbing it lightly. Thor smiled and patted his shoulder. "You've gotten faster."

"It comes from trying to keep out of your grasp."

"And fathers," Thor added, Loki nodded fixing himself. Nari was waiting outside the doors to the room where the gathering for the teens was happening. She smiled at them and said cordially.

"I am pleased that the young Princes chose to attend."

"Yes well we got stuck dealing with a few chickens." Thor nudged Loki hard in the side and he just smirked at Thor in a knowing way.

"We are sorry; there was something that caught my brother's interest."

"I see; well then," she opened the doors and announced them to the crowd. Loki scowled slightly, this was the part he hated, namely because as soon as his brother was mentioned people would be fawning over him. Like flies to honey they swarmed Thor as soon as his name came up, after of course they bowed to both of them. Letting Thor to his gaggle of fan girls Loki wandered around the perimeter of the event, looking for where all the doors, hidden or not, were at. Ticking them off behind his back he didn't notice the blonde girl walking up to him.

"Prince Loki," she said in a sickly sweet voice that made him inwardly shudder. He stopped and turned to see a girl in deep purple with gold glitter on her lids. He glanced over her once to gather what he could from her appearance and the first thought in his head was, _haughty_, followed quickly by, _looking to either make someone jealous or to have something to crow about later._

He gave her a bow, and she curtsied, and then held out her hand to him. Inwardly he sighed and brought it close to his lips but did not kiss it, then let her hand go. The girl looked a bit annoyed by this but recovered quickly.

"I am Sjofn, daughter of the Goddess Freya." She smiled confidently at him as if expecting him to be impressed by this, he wasn't.

"Ah," was all he said then added quickly, "Charmed. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, perhaps, it is a pleasure to meet the most intelligent bachelor in Asgard," Sjofn flattered and Loki gave her a wiry smug smile.

"My how you do flatter Lady Sjofn," he complimented and she seemed pleased by that. "Any other man probably would be glad for that ego stroking, but I'm afraid such words won't get to me. I say them all the time in court, and hardly ever mean them. So again, what is it you want from me?"

Sjofn looked affronted and Loki glanced around for the others noting where they were and who they were talking to. Sif was with a small group off by the fire place, Balder had moved to a corner talking to a few boys he knew, and Fandrel was flirting near the doors. Thor was, once again the center of attention. He turned his attention back to Sjofn who was trying to gather her thoughts, the trickster quirked his brow at her prompting her to speak.

"I…I was hoping that I could ask you a few questions about yourself," she smiled cheerfully and Loki figured it was best to play along. Perhaps he could get some information about the girl he saw on the bridge. She seemed like something fun to play with when he had the chance. Offering his arm to her Sjofn relaxed some and took it. He led her to a secluded area where he offered her a seat. Sitting beside her Loki took Sjofn's hand in his and smiled in a gentlemanly way.

"Well then, Lady Sjofn, fair is fair, I'll answer your questions if you answer mine."

"You have questions," She asked batting her eyes again, "about what?"

Loki kept the smile on his face but decided then and there that if he ever did decide to court a woman she wouldn't be the type to bat her eyes in such a manner, it was a rather irritating habit.

"About you, of course, and your family; I certainly can't just court someone as lovely as you are without getting to know them first. After all, it wouldn't look right for a son of Odin to associate with the wrong woman," He drew his eyes to a crowd of garishly dressed girls who were giggling, and clearly too young to hold a drink. She followed him and nodded in an understanding way, as if they connected on some level. Loki chuckled inside; this was going along perfectly.

"Well what would you like to know," Sjofn moved closer to him and Loki moved back a tad. Flirting was one thing, but he wanted to keep space between them, the less contact he had with this girl the better he felt. She seemed a bit confused by this and he brushed it off as coming on too directly if he didn't keep space, "Ah of course, royal form and all that."

"Yes, exactly," he nodded and thought, _I should hope not all of Lady Freya's other daughters are as gauche as this one is, Odin save the man that she does marry. _"So now can you tell me about your mother?"

"What about her?" Sjofn asked curiously. He tilted his head as she leaned back to give him a better view of her cleavage.

_Not attractive,_ He thought trying his damnedest to not get up and find someone else to use. But she was a prime target, and he needed information as well as a way to cause a distraction, and she seemed like it.

"Well, how many daughters does she really have?"

Sjofn sat up, seemingly slightly annoyed by this, she flipped her hair aside. She assumed that he would be more interested in her, not her family.

"Why do you care how many she has?"

"Curiosity. I've met one of them several times, Idunn, if I'm correct, she's married to Bragi one of my relatives."

"My elder sister yes," Sjofn said politely and then set her hand under her chin to cup her cheek. "Now what of your family, you have only Thor as a sibling?"

"Yes, at least of my blood," he said in a cool way then pushed ahead, "Any younger sisters?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does," he remarked pointedly and said gently, "I'd at least like to know how many sister-in-laws I would be having."

That sent Sjofn into a set of giggles as Loki inwardly cringed, praying he that he was right that most of the others were not this idiotic. When Sjofn finished her giggles she rattled off her sisters ticking them off on her one hand before him.

"Nanna, Idunn, Syn, she's the one being presented today, then there's Lofn, Sigyn, Var, and Snota," she looked up and frowned some. "Speaking of Lofn, here she comes now. "

Loki glanced up at a dark blonde girl holding two cups, one she offered to Sjofn the other she kept. She looked over Loki slowly trying to figure out who he was. He smirked as she drank.

"Who's this one Sjofn?"

"_This one_," Sjofn said in an irritated voice, "Is Prince Loki."

"Prince Thor's younger brother?"

Loki nodded to her and Lofn remarked, "You're shorter than I thought."

At that Loki rose and stood over her. Lofn just stared at him, she clearly had a few too many drinks and a boy was watching them from a table, obviously interested in the girl. Lofn though was regarding him again, and leaned over some to look behind him. Loki bit the inside of his mouth to stop from asking her if his backside was to her preference since she clearly was looking at that part of him.

"Something catch your eye?" He asked her pointedly and Lofn chuckled.

"Nope, it's as flat as you are, skinny."

If they were alone he would have turned her into a frog and let her go into the wild, but that wasn't an option at the moment. So all Loki could do was regard her with the same look and comment, "Seems you're just as flat as I am."

Lofn glared and swigged her drink more.

"I can see now why people prefer your brother to you."

"And I can see why your mother probably doesn't let you out of the house."

Lofn huffed at this and turned back to head for the table calling to her sister about joining her when she was done talking to the prissy prince-charming. Loki smirked amused by this, in his mind he was a prince charming of a certain sort. Sjofn was fast to apologize for her sister's behavior and he waved it off.

"One too many drinks," he motioned to where she was sitting now. "I take it this isn't the first time she's acted in this manner?"

"Yes, she's been in a rebellious stage lately, I will see to it my mother knows of her rudeness," Sjofn took his arm to pull him back down with her, but he waved it off. She looked a bit sad at this, but he ignored it.

"So if you and Lofn are here, where are your other sisters then?"

"With Idunn at the Gardens, Var's only eight, and Snotra is just turning five. Sigyn needs at least another year or so to join this event."

He nodded as she sipped her cup. Loki made small talk with her with her for a while, questioning her about various subjects before he grew bored, gave his leave to her, and wandered around the room again formulating a plan. He kept an eye on Lofn's table where the burly boy was sitting with her now in his lap. Clearly he was the sort of dense fool who would easily be swayed into a challenge. A plot formulated in his mind and he smiled to himself pleased by the distraction that he'd come up with.

"Now I just need some way to get them all out at the same moment." He muttered under his breath pausing near Sif, who looked at him nonplussed by his expression. He glanced up and gave her a weak smile, calming her suspicion. She went back to talking to the girls she was with, and he wondered if there was something he could get out of the treasury to use. But if he teleported now someone would notice he was gone, and that would screw everything up. No, this had to be done from inside the room; the question was how he could amplify his power without leaving.

He was deep in thought when a breath on the back of his neck gave him a shiver, and a soft female voice caressed his ear. Loki gave a slight twitch and said calmly without turning round, "Hello Angrboda, it's been a while."

The woman behind him was at least six years his elder and had been in and out of his life since he was six. He could feel her green eyes penetrating the back of his head hoping that he would turn to see her, and he knew that if he tried to leave without regarding her she would raise hell, in a literal way. Loki took a breath and turned to face the tall woman who was giving him a slightly seductive smile. Her black hair hung down to her waist and on her head was an elaborate wrap with jewels and beading, it matched her earrings perfectly, a pale gold color along with the gold and navy dress that hugged all her curves. She stood out like a treasured statue among all the stone ware in an artist gallery. Any normal man would be happy to have such an exotic beauty before them, unfortunately for Angrbroda Loki wasn't a normal man in any sense of the word.

"Loki, I'm pleasantly surprised to see you here," she spoke properly with a slight accent to her voice, betraying where she from. "You've been avoiding me these past few days, have you not?"

Loki glimpsed over at Sif who didn't meet his gaze, he was hoping to find an out, and she wasn't giving him one. The older woman waited for an answer, a hand cupping her elbow as she held a goblet of her own. Loki gave her a nod and smiled.

"I've been rather _distracted _these past days," which was true, he had been focused on acquiring new offensive spells that could be used against some of the more unruly demons of Muspelheim. They had been rowdy recently, and it was on the behest of Odin himself that Loki was looking into ways to create a barrier that could alert the Asgardians in the event of an attack, and something more critical to slow them down.

"But you have come here for leisure? That doesn't seem like you at all," Angrbroda commented and gave him a sideways smile, as if telling him she wouldn't believe what he said. Loki shrugged and she bid him to follow her, he dutifully did so, turning around and mouthing to Sif.

"Thanks for the help."

Sif gave him an apologetic smile; she knew if she tried to stop the older woman she could wind up on the receiving end of a curse. Angrbroda was not just a daughter of Varcolac, a Jötunn royal Grand Duke, but also a highly skilled sorceress that had more than once used her magic to cause some political turmoil in Asgard. Most everyone steered clear of her, but that didn't mean Sif wouldn't keep a watch on the situation, Loki was after all Thor's brother and it was the duty of a warrior to protect their prince, even if that same prince was a brat at times.

She excused herself from the others and followed them at a distance motioning to Balder to come over so she didn't look like she was watching. The two leaned on the fire place acting like they were talking, but Loki could tell that Angrbroda would guess what they were really doing. And just as he suspected she turned her attention to the duo off to the side, then smirked at Loki.

"It seems your _friends_ don't trust me. I suppose though that every king will need to have a few pigs at their feet to keep the slop off his shoes." The words dripped with a deep sarcastic undertone that Loki actually felt offended by it. Even though he wasn't close with any of them that didn't mean that she had a right to insult them in such a way.

"Regardless of our acquaintanceship, Angrbroda, you don't have a right to speak to of them in those terms."

"Of course, I just don't like being spied on."

"Nor do I, but as we both know, neither of us trust one another," Loki smiled in a way that made her tense up. She flicked her hand, and the start of a magic flame appeared. He dropped the grin and gave her a stoic look. "Threatening me?"

"No, shutting you up," she said and then made it vanish. Angrbroda regarded him with an inquisitive expression. "Did you at all read the material I sent you?"

Loki stared at her a moment then became interested in his nails as he spoke, "You mean the package with the 'urgent' seal that you sent to me? "

"Yes," she said in an offhanded tone, "That very one."

"Ah…no actually I didn't."

Angrbroda's brows furrowed and she pinched her nose some looking perplexed. Loki smiled at her.

"You didn't read it?"

"No, actually I burned it the minute it came to my room."

Her jaw seemed to drop for a second before she regained her composure, though her hand tighten around her goblet.

"You know how hard it was to get that material? I sent you it as proof of what I was mentioning to you was true."

"And you really want me to believe someone who comes from the house of my Father's sworn enemy?" Loki inquired chuckling. "My dear lady, I may be a liar but I am no fool. You're an excellent magic user; you could have easily conjured up that _proof_ as you so call it."

"Why would I?" She asked with a slight hint of anger to her voice. Loki ignored this and put his hands behind his back.

"Is that all?"

"You haven't answered my question Loki," she said pointedly. He smiled at her bearing his teeth.

"And I don't plan to Angrbroda, however, I will make you a deal if you are willing to help me."

She finished her drink and set the goblet aside before crossing her arms and giving him a incredulous stare.

"A deal? What sort of help are you looking for?"

He moved closer to her and she seemed more perceptive at this.

"As you know, my _friend_," he took the same tone that she had, which made her squint as he continued, "this party is rather dull, and well, would you be willing to help me and a few others escape?"

"Go on," she said intrigued by his little dangle of chaotic excitement. Loki grinned, he knew her well enough to know that she liked a good prank as much as he did.

"Well, as you know my skills in teleportation are not as great as yours."

"You're still a pup," she remarked and he bit back a comment that she had to be a bitch in order to recognize a pup.

"Yes I know, however I've managed to get to the point I can teleport two people with me." He was trying not to brag but she didn't seem impressed.

"Do you still faint?" When he didn't respond she smirked. "If you had let me teach you I could have had you teleporting armies by now."

"Not the point," he said redirecting the conversation and she let him proceed. "I have a plan to get us out of here, but I will need your help."

"Why?"

"As I said, a larger group is somewhat_…taxing…_on me as of now; that will change, but I do not want to have trouble and lose someone on the way…" He left off as she began to see what he was asking of her.

"So you want me to enhance your powers just enough to help you teleport more people and yourself. Simple enough to do, but what is this deal you were speaking of? I won't do this for free."

"I know," Loki sat down and drummed his fingers lightly on the arm of the chair. He figured she would want something in return, and he turned up his hand to her. "That is why I'm offering you a way out of here too. You can come with us."

"No," she said plainly which took him aback. She wasn't supposed to say no. She was supposed to say yes and then he could have just used her energy signature and blocked her from following them. Angrbroda bent down to meet his face. "No Loki that will not be our deal for this. I don't trust you Prince of Tricks."

"As most don't," he muttered looking a bit paler than normal. Folding his hands across his chest he looked up at her. "So what deal would you like to make then?"

"I know your tricks, there will be no deal today," she said as she moved behind him and whispered in a low voice. "But the price for my help shall be when the time comes you cannot deny a request."

Loki turned in his chair to look her in the eyes. She was being serious and he didn't like the idea of owing someone. "And what request would that be?"

"In a year's time you shall know, I'm sure," she patted his shoulder and pushed him up from the chair. "Now as for this little childish plan of yours, I shall meet you by that painting over there. It seems wide enough for a group, and far enough away that others shouldn't see you and your friends."

He nodded as she motioned to the others.

"I assume they will be part of this group?"

"Aye, and when you see Thor drinking I would suggest you start collecting your magics to use."

Angrbroda smirked some and patted his cheek. Loki ticked his head away from her cold touch and went over to Sif and Balder to collect them. Balder glanced back warily at Angrbroda as they left her on her own.

"What did you two discuss, Loki? Did you pledge to her something from us?"

"It doesn't concern you, it's between her and me, Balder," Loki said as he moved quickly away from the woman. He didn't want to admit it but she scared him in ways that he didn't like to think of. She was far more powerful than he was, and always trying to say they were more alike than anyone else. What was worse was the fact that she was constantly trying to get him to turn against his own Father. While they never had a good relationship it never had crossed Loki's mind to deny his heritage, and he knew that she was just trying to cause doubt in his mind to get him to come with her to her homeland. Her father had come as part of some sort of peace deal, as he did every time there was a fight with the Jötunn, and just like every other time she came she would try to convince him to throw away his life there and come with her as her mate.

Loki gave a shudder that Balder noticed, and patted him on the shoulder.

"She's _all_ our concern Loki. Don't forget that we're all part of the same team."

"I…I shan't Balder," Loki said pulling his mind out of the dark place it always went to when he was around her too long. Closing his eyes he took a moment to clear his mind, and his mischief smile reappeared on his face as he gathered Sif and Balder closer cluing them in on the plan. "We need to get my brother and Fandrel over here so we can work this out. Everything must be in order or else this won't work."

"Aye, but they look rather occupied," Balder lamented as Loki looked over to the two blonde men. His brother was in an arm wrestling contest and Fandrel was in the middle of flirting with a group of giddy teenage girls. Loki rubbed his brow and let out a groan of annoyance.

"As usual the one wanting to leave is flirting…and I have no idea what my brother is trying to prove over there."

Sif smiled and shook her head as she walked past Loki and Balder, "Don't worry about Thor, you two just work on getting Fandrel's attention."

Loki watched her walk off and muttered to Balder, "Just what exactly can she offer to lure him away from that? When he gets into competitions of strength my idiot brother doesn't stop till he's won at least three times."

"Women are a mystery that I don't think any man can honestly solve, Loki," Balder sighed loudly, "Don't think too much about it."

"I should rather hope not to," he waved his hand dismissively as the two headed over to where Fandrel was sitting, and making a girl swoon with his stories of his adventures. Loki tipped his head at a painting that was behind him and Balder followed his lead in walking behind the older blonde man. The two had their backs to him, but spoke in stage whispers to one another making sure each word was heard by Fandrel.

"Rather nice piece of work isn't it Balder," Loki pointed out and Balder gave a hard nod.

"Yes, wasn't this a gift to one of our cousins?"

"Indeed, it's called the Trial of Siegfried, have you ever heard of it?" Loki inquired and glanced back at Fandrel who was sitting up straighter as if listening to the story. Balder shook his head, stating that he had not, though in truth Loki knew he had. Clearing his throat the Prince of Tricks gave a theatrical worth rendition of the tale of a young man who was out on adventure and came across many beautiful maidens, getting them to fall for him, but ultimately was killed because he never kept his word of marriage and so the great kings captured him and put him to death for his crimes. He told the gruesome story with such gusto that Balder wasn't sure if Loki was putting it on for Fandrel, or if he was actually enjoying talking about the way the young heroic hero got mutilated and burn.

"And so, that reminds me that the All-Father was talking about the fact that there have been quite a number of warriors that have been taking advantage of the maidens of Asgard. He's thinking of implementing a law that if you promise courtship to several maidens you have to marry them _all. Every…last…one._"

At this Fandrel got up and gave each girl's hand a kiss and insisted on taking his leave. Once away from the group he commented, "Did you have to go into such detail Loki?"

"Why? I thought you enjoyed hearing stories with details, you seem to tell enough of them yourself." Loki smirked as Fandrel gave him a glare. Balder chuckled and was still snickering when Sif came over with Thor.

"What is the joke Balder?" Thor asked and Balder coughed to try to stop.

"I'll tell you later Thor," the younger man grinned and then regarded Sif. "How did she get you to leave your little match over there?"

Thor looked at Sif then remarked, "Well, ah, Lady Sif can be very, _persuasive_, when she wants to be. "

"Persuasive?" Loki inquired and Sif showed him a dagger that she had hooked behind the belt of her tunic. She slightly unsheathed it then re-sheathed it. Loki nodded some muttering, "Ah, yes, very persuasive indeed."

He had to wonder exactly what she had told Thor, but then again he'd already seen her in action and didn't want to know her exact tactic for persuading him had been. Gathering them in the far corner of the right side of the room, Loki checked to see if anyone was listening.

"Brother what is going on, Sif told me you are planning some sort of disturbance?"

"We are leaving this party brother," Loki said and motioned with his eyes to Fandrel and Balder, the blonde looking pleased with himself, the brunette rubbing his neck sheepishly. "As per requested."

"I see," Thor sighed. He wanted to respect the wishes of his father, but at the same time the event was turning into the sort of party he would rather avoid, where many of the young squires were insisting on testing his strength. Crossing his arms he inquired with a playful smile of agreement, "What's the plan then?

Loki motioned over to Lofn who was now laughing heartily with the young man he'd seen her with before. Thor and the others followed his hand motion and Sif looked confused.

"How is that girl part of the plan?"

"She_ is_ the plan, Sif," Loki said then described for them his meeting with the younger daughter of Freya. Fandrel shook his head and snorted.

"Well I suppose there's always one in the family," he paused when he saw Loki shoot him a nasty glare, and quickly added, "No offense Loki, I didn't mean…" –Sif and Thor joined Loki in staring at Fandrel who cleared his throat –"Shutting up now."

"Yes that would be appropriate," Loki closed his eyes and continued. "The man she is with is rather the bragger, or I assume he's the sort. More muscle then brains, and to be frank I think you could honestly use him as a battering ram and he'd find it amusing."

"Rather harsh of you Loki," Fandrel commented and Loki shrugged.

"I say no more than others think," he looked at Lofn, "she on the other hand is a attention seeking rebel. Probably feels her mother pays too much mind to her sisters, needs to act up to get any sort of look from her parents even the disapproving kinds…" he stopped and coughed when he felt Thor's eyes on him, "Moving along. When I was talking to her I got the notion that she was the kind of person that wouldn't mind making a bet. "

"A bet?" Balder looked confused, "How does a bet factor into this?"

"Simple," Loki smirked. "I shall make a bet with her, and knowing her, she will agree to it to prove something. That's where you three come in." he pointed to Sif, Balder and Fandrel, "I need you to go and rile up the crowd."

"How?" Sif inquired and looked at the people around there. "This isn't like being in the taverns, Loki. These people are different then the men we deal with there."

Loki smirked and chuckled, "I know, but they are still just as excitable and given the bet that I'm going to make with Lady Lofn, it would not be hard to get them to go along with it. All you have to do is shout one of the two competitor's names and that should be enough to get them going."

"And who will be competing," Sif didn't like this plan but she wanted to hear it through before deciding if she should object to it.

Loki gave a pat to Thor's shoulder.

"Why my dear elder brother, of course," Loki grinned as Thor shot him an inquisitive glance.

"And just what will I be doing?"

"Drinking that man there, under the table my dear brother," Loki beamed up at him. "I know you can do it."

"A drinking contest, but that's," Balder started and Fandrel finished with a laugh.

"A brilliant distraction, but how do we get Thor out of there?"

"Leave that to me and my brother to figure out. Right now I think you three should scatter around into the crowd, and when you see me up on that table there," Loki motioned to the center of the room where a small crowd was gathered sipping drinks. "Then get ready to rile them up, the crazier the better."

"But Loki," Balder tried to ask again but Loki waved it off pulling Thor aside. Balder sighed and looked between Sif and Fandrel, "Are we really going along with one of his schemes?"

"Well you did ask for a distraction, and this one seems rather fun," Fandrel laughed as Sif rubbed her temple.

"I can feel a headache coming on. Let's go get into position, the faster this is over and the quicker we are out of here, the better I will feel. "

With the trio dispersed into the crowd Loki motioned for Thor to listen carefully.

"I'm going to see her now, my intention is to get her to agree to have her boyfriend, or whatever he is, to challenge you to a drinking contest. However we have a card to play."

Thor scowled some. "You're not going to hurt the man are you Brother, because I can't agree to anything where…"

"No, brother I don't intend to hurt him. Though he may pass out," Loki grabbed a mug from the server and tapped it with a finger. "For every one drink you take from your mug, he will be drinking three."

"You're going to magic a mug to have the same amount of mead as three mugs? " Loki gave a nod. "But won't that make him sick?"

"At most he'll pass out, nothing more," Loki lied and tapped Thor in the chest, "When that happens make an excuse to get your-self out of there. I'm sure the crowd will want to know what happened, they'll move forward, you go back, and meet us in the back corner; we will be waiting for you there, the farthest one from the center."

Thor sighed. He didn't completely trust this plan, but if it gave them a way out then he was all for it. Smiling at his brother he took the mug and drank it in one swig. "You can count on me to win."

"I'm sure of it," Loki smiled as he left his brother and made his way over to Lofn and the man she was flirting with. She was laughing about something, clearly intoxicated by now, when he approached them with the charming demeanor he had before. Lofn regarded him with a critical eye and leaned back in her chair, her legs draping over an arm. "Lady Lofn, I see you're enjoying yourself."

"I am, what do you want Prince Loki?" she inquired and chuckled, "Come to make apologies?"

_In your dreams_, Loki thought as he said pleasantly. "I couldn't help but notice your friend here. He seems quiet the hearty man."

"Aye, and best drinker in all the Squires in the crimson Hawks, isn't that true Hinel" Lofn countered as the man puffed up his chest.

"And the best swordsman of them, as well!"

_And a braggart, excellent, this will go well._ Loki nodded as he looked back to Lofn.

"Out of curiosity Lady Lofn, how do you feel about games of chance?"

She sat up her attention caught in his trap. Loki motioned to a seat and she nodded as he sat down next to her. He regarded the Hinel's mug, who easily handed it over to Loki. As he ran his hand over the piece, which Hinel proudly said he had crafted just for himself, cast the spell he needed to under his breath.

"It's lovely," he handed the mug back and Hinel smiled brightly, clearly already in the tank. _This is going to be easier than I thought_, he looked to Lofn and rested a hand on the arm of his chair. "As I said, how do you feel about games of chance?"

"Mother doesn't like us playing them, but I find them fascinating," she smirked at him. "So what sort of game of chance were you thinking of, Prince Loki?"

"Well, I was thinking of a drinking contest, but not between us." Lofn smirked as if to say 'scared', Loki just snorted. He could hold his liquor but it seemed stupid to challenge this girl who clearly would lose within the first two drinks. No he needed it to seem legit and so motioned to Hinel, "Between your friend and my brother."

Hinel looked at him stupidly for a moment, and then giggled, which turned into a loud chuckle, that morphed into a laugh, that ended up a roaring guffaw as Hinel slapped his knee, trying to catch his breath. Both Loki and Lofn regarded him with curiosity, and when he stopped he waved his head.

"Nay good Prince, I challenge your brother. That is rich."

"Why do you think you cannot best him?" Loki smirked confidently but his face fell into a slight scowl when Hinel replied.

"No, good Prince, I think he can't beat me. I mean no disrespect to the future All-Father, but while he is no match in battle, he is not champion of drinks."

There were no words Loki could speak that wouldn't ruin his little game, so he plucked up all his distaste for this man and said bluntly, "I think he could. And I bet the Lady here that he can, and if he can, she must agree to proclaim that she finds me incredibly attractive."

Hinel got up some and was about to say something, when Lofn put her hand up to silence him, in that moment she sobered up some and a serious look came over her face.

"And if Hinel winds up winning, I want you to agree to go out with my sister Sjofn, agreed."

Loki inwardly recoiled at the thought, but his face showed none of this as he nodded and held out his hand to her, which she shook. Without hesitating he stood up and called out to the crowd.

"Attention Ladies and Gentleman, guests, squires and friends, I have announcement to make."

The crowd went quiet as Loki wasn't known for being as boisterous as his brother, so when he raised his voice like this people paid attention. He stalked to the table using all of his charm to get them interested in the little bet.

"Dearest members of the Asgard court or you will be one day," some girls giggled at this as he stood before a chair that was situated right near the table. "Lady Freya's daughter Lofn has stated that she believes that her friend, Hinel, Squire of the Crimson Hawks," a cheer from other Hawks rose up in the air, as Loki mounted the chair then table, "can beat my brother, the mighty Thor, in a battle of Drinks. Who here believes that my brother can best any man that challenges him to a drink! Let me hear you, do you wish to see this challenge?"

A cheer came up from the crowd as Fandrel started a chant of "Thor..Thor…Thor…" from one side and Balder at the other was shouting out and getting others to join him in calling for Hinel to beat Thor. Sif for her part was helping the other two by getting the middle section to place bets on the matter. The sounds rose to a din as Thor walked up to the table as did Hinel, both men shook and sat. At this Loki leapt off the table and took up a pitcher of ale, then poured it into both mugs. Thor was using a plain one, while Hinel was using the one Loki had just enchanted.

"Now gentlemen, remember, the rules are that the first one who cannot finish his mug in its entirety is the loser. Are we clear?"

"Aye!" Both teenagers bellowed as the crowd roared with anticipation. Loki moved back and then shouted.

"Begin!"


	4. Chapter 4: A Drink and a Get Away

**_A/N: Thank you Original Hybrid for putting a scene to start this chapter off into my head with your review._**

**_(Again as stated before Chapters 1-5 will be Old stuff and Chapter 6 Will be new)_**

**_Copyright: Loki, Sigyn, and all other members of the Marvel Norse Pantheon are owned by Marvel Comics, and were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Leiber, as well as Roy Thomas and John Buscema._**

"Another!" Thor slammed his mug down on the table to the rousing cheers of the attentive audience. Loki nodded to a servant that quickly filled his elder brother's mug with more drink. He looked between the two combatants: on his right Thor looked rosy cheeked, and obviously enjoying himself, whereas Hinel, who Loki had assumed had had more than a few pints beforehand, was starting to have trouble lifting his mug and looked sweaty and nauseated. Between the two of them they had consumed a total of forty-eight mugs of mead, Thor drinking twelve and Hinel drinking the equivalent of thirty-six thanks to Loki's little spell.

As Thor was downing his thirteenth Loki couldn't help but notice the other man starting to set down his drink only to try to pick it up again. This was becoming a problem. While he knew his brother could certainly drink more he also knew that even the mighty Thor would eventually become drunk, and then the whole trick would become pointless. So he decided to help things along by using a small paralyzing spell on Hinel as he leaned back to drink. The young squire froze for an instant giving Loki the chance to slip his foot behind the front leg of Hinel's chair and send it tipping back, crashing to the floor with a loud, explosive noise, breaking the chair in the process.

"Hinel!" Shouted Lofn and rushed over as the crowd gathered around to see what was going on. Thor finished his drink and got up to see, as Loki motioned to Sif to move back, who in turn motioned for Fandrel and Balder to follow her lead. Loki slipped back into the surging crowd, letting himself become almost intangible, a new illusion he had recently learned, so that he could move through the rush more easily. Thor for his part looked over the group that was now lifting up Hinel who was calling Lofn, 'Mama', he gave him a look of dubiousness as he raised his eyebrows.

"I think I should get a guard," Thor said nodding to Hinel who was now making gurgling noise as another person got up to go get a healer to help. Thor pushed gently through the crowd, excusing himself as best he could until he managed to get to the others who had, by now, gathered by Angrbroda. Thor gave her a skeptical nod which she reciprocated before Loki spoke up.

"You're late brother."

"I had to at least see how the man was doing Loki," Thor explained and Fandrel patted him on the shoulder.

"Aye, but that was one amusing contest. We should try it again some time."

"Let's not," Loki sighed as he gathered them in a circle, "I would rather not have to excite such a moronic bunch again. Besides we need to get out of here while we still can." He touched his brother's shoulder and then instructed them to each touch the person on their right. "Now across from you," Loki moved their arms until it was in the shape of some sort of glyph. He nodded to Angrbroda who closed her eyes concentrating.

"What is she doing brother?" Thor asked and Loki shushed him. Thor glanced at the others and then at the frost giantess who was glowing. Her fingers outstretched and ripples of energy extend to the center of the circle making them all glow. Loki quickly put his hand on top of all the others and let out harsh breaths as he was focusing on the glowing light that quickly made a circle on the floor in the same pattern. In a mere instant a great light began to envelop them and Thor realized that Loki was teleporting them out of there.

"Loki stop, we'll use the doors…" Thor insisted worried about the wellbeing of his younger sibling.

"Not now Thor, I can do this." The younger man spat back, sweat beads already forming around his brow. Thor was not moved.

"Loki, you're not strong enough for this," Loki shook his head and Thor saw blue flames flicker out of Loki's fingers as he seemed to cleanse the sorceress magic. He frowned. "Loki this is too much for you, you'll pass out."

"Leave me to concentrate."

"As you're brother I order you to stop this." Thor's brows narrowed in anger and his voice raised.

"Thor, we don't have time…now _shut up_ and let me focus or I could kill all of you."

"Or yourself," Thor spat back as Loki shot him a deadly look, which Thor returned. It was Loki that pulled away first and muttered.

"We're teleporting and I'll be damned if we don't, I didn't do all this work for nothing."

"Loki," Thor said softly trying to coax his brother into rethinking his plans. In the meantime Fandrel kept looking around to see if anyone had noticed what they were doing. His eyes moved to the door when he detected activity in the front of the hall, and saw several crimson clad warriors as well as some normal armored men coming in.

"Guards," Fandrel hissed at the two bickering brothers. Both Loki and Thor looked up at this.

"What?" Loki asked and Thor looked over to see Nari talking to one of the Crimson men. The Hawk glanced over the crowd and spotted them. Loki saw it too and cursed. He needed more time to build up the magic around them so he focused down at the circle and uttered a spell under his breath as the guard started to come closer.

"Guard, Loki, he's coming." Fandrel intoned heatedly to Loki, a flicker of panic crossing his blonde brow. Loki remained impassive as he chanted, the light still growing and getting more obvious. Balder and Sif now noticed that the Crimson Hawk was coming bringing two others with hm.

"Loki, they're coming," Balder hurried him.

"If they find you two doing this they'll lock you both in your rooms." Sif said excitedly as the men pushed and shoved at younger attendants, moving them out of the way. Loki glimpsed up and kept chanting, the circle getting larger and larger as he did so, even as the men were moving faster realizing what he was doing.

"Loki…" urged Fandrel, "Do it now…"

"It's not ready," Loki snapped and the light grew brighter as his brother looked back at the guards who were now almost charging for them.

"Loki…" Sif pressed as she watched the guards' advance, the only thing slowing them was the guests that were acting like panicked cattle, moving this way and that, waves which pushed the Hawks back each time they made it to close to the group. By now they were only ten paces away and coming closer with each step. "Ten strides and charging….seven…"

"Loki…" Fandrel insisted as he began to realize how trapped they really were.

"Five…" Sif counted as she watched the men starting to draw their swords as a means to threaten them.

"I know," Loki snarled his arm trembling as he forced all his energy into getting ready for the jump."

"Loki…" Balder's voice came out in a scared cry, echoed by Fandrel who cursed under his breath for not having a way to slow the men down.

"Four…"

"Hurry it up Loki!" Fandrel exclaimed as the light shot up each of their legs and started to cover their bodies.

"Three…" the men were mere feet from reaching them, the leader had his hand out ready to make a grab, and he was furious.

"Two…" shouted Sif as the men ran at them, a cry of anger coming from their open maws.

_I can do this I __**have**__ to do this!_ Loki thought as Sif cried out.

"One…!"

"Loki Do it now!" Thor bellowed just as the leader reached out to seize them, the light completely shrouded them and they vanished as the guards hand passed over where they had been. Angrbroda lowered her hands and looked at the stupefied guards smirking.

"Well that was amusing.


	5. Chapter 5: Broken Wrist

**_A/N: Last of the Old stuff, new stuff starts in on Chapter 6)_**

**_(Again as stated before Chapters 1-5 will be Old stuff and Chapter 6 Will be new)_**

**_Copyright: Loki, Sigyn, and all other members of the Marvel Norse Pantheon are owned by Marvel Comics, and were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Leiber, as well as Roy Thomas and John Buscema._**

Of all the parts of the plan Loki had set up this was the one where he had made his only mistake, where to teleport them to. The problem with teleportation of more than one person was that you had to get the other people to agree on the same place, or at least let them allow you to guide them to a location of your choice. However that had not been discussed before they made the leap so Loki was dealing with four other ideas of where to go. In the 'in-between' as he liked to call it, he could somewhat hear snips of thoughts since they were all nothing more than falling energy. Fandrel was thinking of a forest, taverns, and random places. Sif was thinking of her home near Bifrost, Thor's mind was a jumble of places, given he had been drinking and Balder was still panicked. The one concise and similar image he saw between the four of them was one that he thankfully knew wasn't too far from the castle.

They fell, fast and hard through the air like a lightning strike and found themselves sprawled out over the floor of the armory. Loki lay on his back taking deep breaths as Balder weakly asked.

"Is everyone alright? Does everyone have all their limbs?"

Thor sat up first, rubbed his head as he did so, and looked around, "Aye Balder, though I don't think that ride should be taken again on our way back. "

"I heartily agree," Sif said getting slowly to her feet as Fandrel pulled Balder up. He laughed clapping the younger man on the shoulder.

"Well that was quite exciting, bravo Loki, I knew you had it in you."

"No…no you didn't" Loki said as he very slowly sat up, and then put his head down to let the blood rush. He felt dizzy and decided that, until he gained more control over his powers, he wasn't going to endeavor that trick again. He was audacious but not a fool, and he knew that a second attempt would leave him weak and exhausted, even more so than he was at the moment.

He felt the touch of his brother and Sif's hands on his arms, and they slowly helped him to his feet. After a few moments of getting his head back together Loki looked around. At least they landed where he had hoped they would. Thor smiled at him and clapped him on both shoulders then gave him a hard hug.

"Well done Loki, well done. As good a place as any to escape to, and what's more fun to be had then practicing with one another."

Loki dusted himself off as the others went looking around for weapons to use. Fandrel picked up a sword, lifted it to see the blade then swung it a few times before sheathing it.

"Found mine. What say you Balder, any luck?"

Balder went to a case and pulled a thicker blade from it that he held with two hands. Testing it out he smiled and nodded sheathing it at his side next to Frey, the sword that Odin had given to him as a gift a year ago. Sif on the other hand had grabbed a short sword and stuck it in her belt.

"That will suffice to defeat the lot of you," she glanced at Thor who had grabbed a mace. He swung it a few times though his eyes lingered on a case where Mjolnir sat resting. Sif noticed his look and walked over to rub his back, sensing his disgust of the fact that the hammer had yet to find him worthy of lifting it. Her voice was soft and gentle as she spoke, "Give it time. It will see you as the man that will be its master."

"Aye," he said thoughtfully, "But when?"

"When you are ready, don't dwell too much on it Thor." Sif said leading him away and seeing Loki examine some bows. He picked up a green one, tested its string and then took a light quiver, slinging it over his back. Fandrel looked surprised.

"And why no steel Loki Odinson, are you afraid to lose against my fine swordsmanship?" He chuckled at the trickster who shifted his weight slighty.

"Hardly Fandrel."

"Then why not join us Brother?" Thor inquired coming over with Sif. Loki gave him a queer smile.

"Because brother, while you are bashing each other into submission _I _am going to practice my archery; besides, teleporting such a heavy group spent me of energy and I would rather recuperate it then be brained into unconsciousness." He waved at them as he headed for the doors that lead to the archery field. Sif crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Did he just imply we're fat?"

"Well," Fandrel poked her side, "You have been gaining more curves Sif."

His hand was promptly swatted and he laughed as she chased him for the doors to the main combat field.

* * *

_THUNK_ the arrow landed just off center of the bulls-eye. Loki scowled as he pulled another out, knocked it then let it loose. He'd been at this for some time, and was beginning to feel bored. True it was far more relaxing and easier to regain energy this way then fighting with his brother and his friends, but it was a bit lonely on the deserted archery field. Walking over to the target he wrested the arrows from the sawdust filled target. Tossing the arrows in his hand he considered his options. He could keep practicing until the others came for him, head back to their field and watch them, which would probably lead him into getting into a fight, or he could just wander about the grounds. The latter seemed the most appealing, so he took the quiver back inside and made the bow and arrows he had in hand invisible. He liked this bow and thought that maybe he could have it fixed and refinished in a way that he preferred.

Walking down the path to the various halls from the training center he glanced up towards the hall of Bragi and thought back to the group passing over the bridge. He recalled the girl he'd seen earlier, the one his brother had identified as possibly one of the daughters of Freya called Sigyn. She had a certain air that had enticed him and he was curious as to why that was. Decided, Loki made his way across the bridge at an amble pace and went through the garden gate. Here he strolled about the garden taking in the fresh smell of the flowers and the earthy smell of the trees. He reached up, grabbed an apple and took a bite. Sitting down on a bench he ate thinking about what Angrbroda had said to him. A scowl played on his lips as he hunched over turning the fruit in his long fingers. Whatever her plans were he had played into them, and he was sure that somehow the deal he'd agreed to with her would come back to bite him in the ass.

"Still, not the time to worry about that," he said to himself and was about to take another bite when he heard someone wandering around just beyond the bushes that were behind him. Setting his bow down, he walked over and pushed them apart to peek out. Loki stared at the blonde girl he had seen earlier that morning walking around as if in a daze. He tilted his head thinking that she was rather pretty looking this close up, though far too young for his taste. He made a whistle to her to get her attention, hoping to play a little trick on her to pull her out of the dower stupor she seemed to be in. When she didn't react he tried again, still she did not pay him mind and he narrowed his brow. Annoyed, he was about to go around the bushes and bother her, when he heard a sharp whisper behind him and looked to his right to see two girl's standing there. He knew them to be the younger sisters of his mother's handmaid Nari and gave a curt bow to them.

"Prince Loki, what an honor to see you here," the first said and bowed to him followed by the second. "I am Lari and this is my sister…"

"Seli," they rose as one and smiled at him cheekily. "So what is the Prince of Asgard doing here when there's a party going on in the palace?" '

"Being bored," he told them offhand, and looked out at the girl he figured to be Sigyn. The girls looked at one another and they came over to his sides.

"Maybe we can entertain you?" Lari suggested.

"How?" he inquired as he made a quick motion with his hand to kick up some wind to blow Sigyn's hair hoping she would look his way so he could get a better view of her face. She just brushed her hair away and pushed it back into the tail she had. He scowled and muttered, "Why not look this way?"

Seli glanced to her sister and then back at Loki, "Something bothering you my Prince?"

"Nothing that would concern you, and you haven't answered me, how will you entertain me?" He was losing interest in these two females and wanted to play with the girl that was ignoring him.

"Well we could take you to see some of the ducks at the ponds up the road." Seli remarked as Lari chimed in.

"Yes they're quite cute."

Loki closed his eyes and huffed, "I've seen them, and I knew them when they were ducklings."

"Oh well maybe we can go wander over the bridges and drop sticks in the water to see which comes up on the other side first." Lari suggested and Loki frowned as he tried to shake the trees to scare the blonde that was now leaning on one. She looked up but didn't move.

"Childish," he told them and thought. _Does nothing make this girl jump?_

Lari pouted and crossed her arms, "Well what about going swimming in the pond?"

"And what exactly, strip to nothing? With the likes of you, doubtful," Loki told them bluntly. Then growled as Sigyn ignored the snake that was now slithering around a tree he had conjured. _Does this girl just ignore everything? Is she blind or is she stupid? Or perhaps both, does nothing faze her at all?_

"What are you looking at Prince Loki?" Seli and Lari joined him in looking out of the bush at Sigyn, and he rolled his eyes as they stared at her. "Oh it's that girl."

"That girl?" he asked and Lari explained.

"She came here with Idunn; I think she's her younger sister, Sigyn. One of Freya's daughters," Loki nodded as Seli added quickly.

"She seems a bit daft. She's been wandering around here for a while, but not doing anything other than thinking, I think."

Loki regarded her with curiosity and Lari pointed out, "I don't see what's so great about the lot of them. I heard that they're only half Vanir."

"Only half?" he glanced at her and she smiled glad to have gotten the prince's attention.

"Yes, there are rumors about her family, though Lady Freya won't say anything in court about it," she looked back to Sigyn who was breathing slowly as if in sleep with her arms crossed over her chest. Loki quirked a brow, perhaps this girl would be more fun to play with then the sisters he met. However the fact remained that she wasn't reacting to him, he snapped his fingers and a sharp whistle cut through the air. He hoped that she would bolt up, maybe then he could get some emotion out of the girl. She did open her eyes, but only to look up, regard a bird in the tree, and move on.

Loki pulled out of the bushes followed by the two girls. He was perplexed; she had to be so far in thought about something that he couldn't get her to jump. If he wanted to find out more about her he had to get her to react to something, then he could know how to play with her. Lari and Seli watched him as he paced back and forth as they sat down on the bench.

"What can you tell me about her?"

"Sigyn?" Seli said then looked at Lari who shrugged and regarded with a cool air.

"Well she has several sisters, and apparently," smirked and lowered her voice, "her father's a dwarf."

Loki raised his brows at this and a quirky smile slipped onto his face as he crouched down to look at them, his fingers playing with the grass.

"A dwarf? Are you certain about that?"

Lari nodded as Seli continued, "Our mother works at the palace as one of the ladies for Saga the scribe of Odin. She heard that Freya fell in love with one of the Dwarf Princes while traveling there."

"They say that she brought him back here, and kept him as a slave to bear her children," Lari expressed. "Because Odin wouldn't let her marry the mortal man she wanted."

"Interesting anything else?" Loki nodded and looked at the grass. He knew at least the story regarding Freya wanting to be involved with a mortal from Midgard had been true, and that was one of the reasons why Odin had sent her out on travels, though he had never honestly heard that the daughters she bore were from a dwarf. It didn't surprise him though that it was kept quiet, outsiders marrying Vanir or Aesir were not looked kindly upon as they didn't match the qualifications of certain high beliefs. Their children fared worse if their heritage was known, and if they didn't look like their family, it was almost like exile in some cases. Loki was lucky in a way, while he looked nothing like his family his father was the All-Father and, though he had been teased, most knew not to push too far with it as it would cause dire consequences for a lower noble to mock the son of Odin. While Freya was a goddess with power, he was sure that it wasn't easy for her children. Still he figured they were strong.

"About Freya or her daughter," Seli asked as Loki got up then and peered out of the bushes again. No luck seeing Sigyn which made him wonder if he missed his opportunity to have fun.

"Her daughter," he said and cocked his head not looking at the girls. "What of her? I know her sister is Idunn."

"Well no one knows much about any of them," Lari said and thought a moment. "Nanna is a handmaid for Lady Frigga, she's known for her skill as a fighter."

"They say Balder has an eye on her," Seli pointed out and Loki smirked, little did they know about that.

"And then there's Idunn, although she seems a bit too simple for my taste," Lari went on with Seli interjecting.

"She does seem to have the ear of the council though."

"Aye that's true," Lari said as Loki leaned on the bushes gently so as not to fall through. "And then there's Syn, she's the newest to join the court."

"And don't forget Sjofn, apparently some think she's going to be a rival to her mother's beauty," Seli pouted some at this and Lari waved it off.

"Then there's Lofn, she's the most spirited." Spirited was not a word that Loki would have used to describe Lofn, but he wasn't about to say so.

"Try bitchiest," Seli corrected and looked at Loki, "Did you know she had the nerve to tell me I looked like I was wearing drapes earlier when we passed her in the hall."

"Perish the thought to offend one so lovely," Loki drawled in a way that seemed like a compliment but was utterly sarcastic. The tone went over Seli's head as she nodded and smiled at him.

"See, even a Prince can see real fashion sense," Seli said to her sister who rolled her eyes.

"And that brings us to Sigyn, not much is known of her. She's not seen a lot at the parties when they have them here. I think…you know I don't know where she goes off to. Some say she just wanders around and ignores everyone. Other people say they see her in the libraries and painting galleries, as if she looking for something."

"Looking for something?" Loki asked, his curiosity piqued, Leri nodded and then shrugged.

"Aye, though again, no one really knows," she tapped her last to fingers. "Then there are the younger ones, Var and Snotra."

"Didn't the stories about their father vanishing happen around the time Snotra was born?" Seli remarked and Leri nodded.

"Some say he was killed, no one knows, Lady Freya says nothing on the matter nor does Lord Frey."

"I see," Loki closed his eyes and quirked his lips. Well that was enough to be useful. He regarded his bow and got up. "Would you ladies like to help me with something? I can honestly tell you, you'll have quite a bit of fun."

The girls giggled and leaned in as he told them his idea. It was some time later that he was up in a tree watching from a slight distance as Sigyn had come into the grove where he left his bow and arrows, though at the moment the only thing she could see was the bow. He noticed her examine it and rested his weight on an arm that was planted on the trunk. Crossing his foot over his ankle he observed her as she walked around looking for the arrows and smiled, _Well this is different, seems that caught her fancy. _

It was about then that the other two appeared and started to harangue her as planned. He waited to see what they would do, as per his suggestion they came off as aloof, and she seemed a bit nervous but didn't show fear to them. He liked that; a stubborn victim was far more fun than one that would be easy to make run off in tears. She was holding her own ground and that's when things started to get out of hand. He wasn't sure what had been said but then heard Sigyn raise her voice.

"Take me seriously or not, I shall tell my sister of your transgression as she is Idunn, wife of Bragi the keeper of this garden, and she will surely throw you out."

Seli moved to shove Sigyn as Leri commented, "What will you do to us? Get us thrown out? Now that is rich."

Loki frowned as the girls pulled her hair and twisted her about, shoving and goading her. He was going to go down when Sigyn grew angry and struck out at them. This he had not expected, and leaned forward to watch slightly amused by the fight.

Though the other girls danced away from her the younger blonde, even when accosted didn't give up, and attacked them as best she could. He almost felt some pity for her as she weaved about, and then scowled when the girls went overboard with the name calling. Yet even so, Sigyn didn't once cry, rather she looked enraged and he could see now the temperament that probably came from both of her parents.

"Stubborn, yet willing to keep trying, she is a fun toy to play with," he muttered and gritted his teeth as she got pushed to a tree. That had not been part of the plan, and Loki teleported down some on the tree readying to send a blast of wind that would knock both girls off their feet and hard to the ground, probably enough to cause them pain. However he stopped when Sigyn charged at them and they made her slam into the bench. She got up, grabbing the bow and finding the arrows, now that the spell had worn off, took aim at them.

"Bad, this is bad," he muttered teleporting down to the ground quickly and using the spell to cause Sigyn to aim the arrow towards the tree branch, throwing his voice into her ear, "I think this game has gone on long enough, don't you agree?"

Sigyn loosed the arrow then, sending it smacking into a tree branch. Loki teleported behind her and transformed into a beast with three snake heads, the body of a wolf and the legs of a lion, then stared hungrily at the Seli and Lari who fled upon seeing him. He turned back just in time for Sigyn to confront him, bow poised to act as a defensive cudgel. He smirked at this, impressed that she didn't flee like the other two.

_She has some backbone, nice to see in one this young,_ he thought and smirked extremely pleased with himself. While he didn't get the full fun he wanted with Sigyn he had had a wonderful time scaring the other two, so the whole prank wasn't a total wash out.

Sigyn stared at him as if not sure what she was seeing and he looked up at the tree with the arrow in it. He leaned on the bench to talk to her, getting closer to her face. Up close he noticed that she had the same intense eyes as her older sister Nanna, she reminded him of a flower bulb his mother had once showed him. It seemed a bit plain on the outside, but given time and care it bloomed into a flower of radiance. He was sure this girl could be one of those flowers, but at the moment she was just a bulb.

When she finally recognized him and bowed he had to chuckle. She was certainly more entertaining than playing with the other girls that had been there, or even arrow practice. In addition she could be an easy target to practice some charming on, less receptive then most, which gave him a challenge. He backed her up to a tree and stared down at her. She came up to just under his throat so he didn't have far to look down on her.

She brought up the bow to him and he lied sweetly to her; it was far easier then telling her that he had sic'd the two treacherous girls on her as a lark. Watching her face and eyes he recognized familiarity in them, an emotion that he had dealt with from time to time: loneliness, rejection, sadness, things he knew quite a bit about, but under that there was a stubborn directness that he had seen moments before. Sigyn questioned him and he responded in kind but did not back away, telling her that the girls were wrong, which they were, and that he would tell his Mother about it, which he would, what he didn't mention was that he was going to play a few tricks on the brats when he saw them again, and humiliate them to the point that they never said anything to anyone about the game from that day.

He moved closer to her bending down to nearly touch her forehead with his, keeping a steady lock on her eyes, and noticing that her cheeks were starting to flush.

"Indeed, I must say I was impressed though with the fact that you still stood up to them." Loki sweetly complimented and smiled at her kindly, "When I saw you talking to them I figured you were Idunn's sister, you have her graceful air about you, but you're far more like your sister Nanna, yes? Far more independent, though you hold your anger quite well until literally push comes to shove. I like that in a person, not afraid to say something…"

He leaned in close to her ear to whisper, "Though you do need work in playing games, young Sigyn, I can show you how…"

He could see her mind reeling from the offer, a part of her seemed interested, but it was clear that she didn't like the intimate nature he had asked her the question. Sigyn was about to respond when the oaf had to come in. Dressed in crimson armor looking worried and a bit rushed, he called to her and Sigyn ran to him, hugging the man tightly. Loki frowned as he recognized who the young knight was even before Sigyn said his name.

"I'm glad to see you too, my lady," Theoric said to her and ran a hand over her hair. Loki clenched a fist, he was ruining his fun with Sigyn, and Loki hated when people ruined his fun. He crossed his arms and looked directly at Theoric who quickly let go of Sigyn to bow to Loki. "Prince Loki, it is good to see you too. May I ask though why you're here?"

"You may not," Loki replied haughtily and then moved away from the tree to look up at the arrow. "But _I_ can ask why you're here Accolade Theoric? Weren't the Crimson Hawk's younger members to attend the party for the guests? "

Theoric's pleased expression turned slightly sour but he did not show it in his tone.

"I'm afraid not, my Prince. While those of the squire rank were allowed to attend, the Hawks and the accolades were instructed to act as guards and patrol the city."

"Ah, I see," Loki sat down and gazed at the two as he said shortly, crossing his legs. "So how do the two of you know each other?"

Again Theoric answered before Sigyn, "I am a family friend of Lady Freya and Lord Frey. I've known Sigyn since she was a child, although I did expect her to be by her younger sisters, and not be in the company of one of Odin's sons."

"Well it seems that she likes the company of a son of Odin," Loki gave Sigyn a smug smile and she scowled at him tightening her grip on the bow. Theoric looked between them.

"Is there something I should know Sigyn? Has young Loki been bothering you?"

"Young Loki?" Loki got up at this looking outraged, "Who do you dare call young? I am not a child Accolade; you should watch your tongue lest it be removed one morning."

"Aye, by your magic my Prince," Theoric said to him heatedly. "I know of your crafty ways Prince Loki, I will not be swayed by threats from you. Also, it is you who should not be here; I was told that the Princes and their friends should be at the party for the younger guests."

"I was," Loki moved closer to them very slowly, his fists already balled and ready for a fight. Theoric was beginning to nudge Sigyn away as he came towards them. "I decided it was not for me and departed. Is that a problem?"

"That depends on how you left the party," Theoric came to meet him and the two exchanged glares. Loki flexed his fingers readying to jump back and cast a spell on the man when he felt a smaller hand touch his chest and push him back. Looking down he saw Sigyn getting between them, her eyes were straight ahead as she spoke.

"Please, enough," She looked to Theoric and said simply, "Prince Loki happened to be in the garden and was kind enough to help me with some women who were causing me issues. Do not reprimand him; if he wasn't here I don't know what might have happened to me."

"My lady I was simply," he stopped when he met her eye then nodded and backed up as Sigyn turned to Loki, who gave her a rather pleasant look. She had defended him, even though she had no idea what he was going to do next. It was, nice, having someone actually stand up for him other than his Brother. However his smile disappeared as she opened up on him.

"As for you Prince Loki, take heed, Theoric is here on patrol, probably to see Bragi and Idunn. Threatening him should not be done, because I won't let you."

"You won't let me?" his lips quirked at this. Oh she was amusing and he leaned close to push a bit of hair off her neck, "And how would you stop me?"

"You forget I have a weapon," she pulled up the bow and he put his hand on it.

"Which is mine," he said and motioned to the arrows. "As well as those, so I could say you are a thief."

She searched his eyes as he did hers. They stood there having a silent war between them to see which would back down first. It was only when Theoric pulled her back that she stopped staring at him and he let go of the bow.

"I think that is enough my Prince; I would suggest you take your leave." Theoric was saying as Loki bowed to them.

"Gladly, this garden has become less enjoyable. As the mortal's say, two is company three is a crowd." He turned to make his leave and was stopped when he saw his brother and the others coming for him. Loki turned on his heels to depart the other way and teleport, but Thor was faster with a call to him.

"Loki! So this is where you were! We were looking all over the grounds for you brother!"

Theoric and Sigyn immediately bowed and curtsied as Thor came over to Loki. Sighing Loki turned around and faced his brother.

"Well you found me, congratulations; you are still the best at hide and seek Brother." He said in his most sarcastic tone spreading his hands. Thor raised an eyebrow then laughed as he clapped Loki on the shoulder, who brushed it off. He wasn't in a mood to deal with his easily pleased brother and looked to the others who came in. "Well met, Balder, Fandrel, Sif. So how long before you figured I was here."

"Sif and I told them to check here or the library first, but they didn't want to listen," Balder contended and Fandrel laughed.

"Well I figured that you'd not have wandered far. But you did give Thor a start. He thought that the guard had found you and brought you to your Father."

Loki cast his head to the right where Theoric was still bowing; Sigyn had already stood up and was looking at the group curiously.

"They already did."

Thor followed his gaze and saw Theoric who didn't move. Smiling he walked over and laughed, "You need not bow for so long, well met friend."

"I am called Theoric," Theoric said standing up and nodding taking Thor's extended hand in a shake. "Well met my Prince. I am one of the accolades from the Crimson Hawks, we were sent to do patrol when I found your brother here."

"Loki does like wandering around this garden from time to time," Thor agreed and looked to Sigyn and smiled to her. She nodded back, "Well met my lady and you are? "

"Sigyn, sister of Idunn and daughter of Freya," she curtsied again. Thor looked at her then chuckled.

"No need to be that formal, Sigyn. We are not in court."

"I am sorry then, Prince Thor." She glanced at Loki who was now sitting down again with Fandrel who was laughing hard. "Can I inquire what they're speaking of?"

"Possibly your brother telling them about his little staring contest with Lady Sigyn," Theoric explained to Thor, and described how he found them. Thor had a small knowing smile come on his lips. Loki watched them as he got up from the seat. Fandrel had been telling him about their running around like wild geese looking in all the nooks and crannies of the buildings to find him. He didn't find it as amusing as he normally would have.

"She is quiet cute," Fandrel said to him seeing him stare at Sigyn, "But still young."

"She will grow," was all Loki replied. It was then that Sif made the discovery of the arrow and motioned Loki over.

"How did that get up there?" Before Loki could respond smartly she held up her hand, "and don't tell me, it was shot, Loki."

"Then I won't and I'll tell you it magically flew up there by itself."

Sif narrowed her brow, "Very funny."

"You asked," he shrugged and examined it. He didn't realize how high she had shot it, and then saw that there were golden apples starting to grow on the upper branches. He twitched and swore under his breath. This prank had gone from bad to possibly worse in a matter of seconds. It was a crime to harm the trees, and embedding an arrow in the tree would certainly be seen as an insult to the All-Father.

Balder also seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he whistled sharply to Thor, who looked over. He was talking vehemently with Theoric about something, and, as far as Loki could tell, probably trying to calm the young guard down so he wouldn't tell on the lot of them. Theoric also looked up when he heard the whistle as Balder pointed out the arrow.

"I do believe we have a problem."

Thor let out a long low whistle as he walked over followed by the other two. Standing under the arrow he crossed his arms and looked at Loki.

"That surely isn't an arrow in that tree is it Loki?"

"It certainly appears to be Thor," Loki said dully and shrugged.

"And how on Asgard did an arrow get into a tree of immortality?" Thor asked him. Loki smirked and was about to say something when Sigyn moved forward.

"Please don't be mad at him Lord Thor, it was my fault."

Loki looked over at her, not quiet understanding what she was doing. He was having fun with Thor, and beside that if she confessed it would mean that she would have to be called before their father over this.

"I don't think you know what you're saying Lady Sigyn," Theoric said in a parental tone, but she walked over to Thor and looked at him.

"I found Lord Loki's bow, and was playing around with it. I shot the arrow, it was my doing, please don't be upset with him."

Thor looked at her gently then regarded his brother who said nothing, then back to Sigyn.

"Are you telling the truth Sigyn," He lowered himself to look her in the eyes. "You know that it could be seen as an insult against the All-Father and also a crime to wound these trees."

Sigyn stared at him stoically as Loki watched with a queer expression. She nodded and he raised both eyebrows wondering what in the gods she was doing. He blinked when she began to cry.

"I…I am so sorry Prince Thor, I was just playing around and it happened by accident. Please don't tell the All-Father on me. He'd remove Idunn from her position." Thor reached out and wiped her tears gently smiling. Loki saw her sniffle some and listen to his brother calmly, he was sure the tears came from her being more exhausted then scared.

"Calm yourself gentle Sigyn, no one's going to tell," he looked at the others, including Loki and Theoric, who nodded to confirm that they would keep quiet. Thor looked back at her, "There, now dry your tears, my friend. But we do need to get the arrow out of the tree."

"We could try moving the bench," Fandrel suggested and he and Balder moved to pick up the bench. "Then one of us could stand on it."

"But wouldn't someone notice that the bench was moved?" Loki asked and motioned to the tree, "Even if we do that could you really pull it out without hurting the tree?"

Fandrel stopped and thought about it then he and Balder set the bench down.

"Well that screws up that plan, any other ideas?"

"If one of us could get up there and pry it out," she pulled out her dagger and handed it to Loki. "Can you teleport into the tree?"

"There's a barrier that keeps magic away from them," he handed her back the dagger. "Even if I did get up there, it would be a hard angle to dig it out without injuring the tree."

Thor went over to the arrow and leapt up trying to reach it, his fingers brushing the feathered end.

"Then we try yanking."

"Don't think that will work," Fandrel said and motioned to Balder to follow and the two cupped hands to try to boost Thor up. After a moment or two the three stopped noting that Thor would be too heavy for both of them to lift.

"We need someone lighter," Balder said and looked at Sif. "Think you can do it Sif?"

"I could try," she said walking over and placing a booted foot on their hands, and putting her hands on their shoulders. "Ready?"

They were about to lift her when Sigyn called out, "Wait one moment."

Sif looked to her as she came over holding the bow out to Sif. "I was the one that knocked the arrow and shot it, it's my duty and responsibility to get it down. It's only right."

Fandrel smiled at her, "What do you say Sif."

"You're an honest young woman Sigyn," she offered her dagger to the girl; "I'll watch you from behind."

Sigyn took it nodding, she put a foot up on the pair of cupped hands and placed her hands on Balder's shoulders then Fandrel's as Sif held her about the waste.

"On my mark, ready," Sif started to count. "One…two…"

"Lady Sif," Theoric cut in and the group paused, Loki rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Just let her do it already."

Theoric shot him a dirty look with Loki returned, before walking over to Sif as Sigyn was lowered to the ground.

"Is there something wrong Theoric?" Sif asked bluntly and Theoric bowed to her slightly.

"Nay my lady, I am sure that she is in the safest of hands," he lowered his voice to Sif adding, "I do believe though that given my lady's young nature, it would be wiser for me to help her up to the tree."

Sif stared at him a moment as she spoke, "Three holding her is safer than one, Theoric. I know you are worried for her, but…"

"And I know you wish to keep her safe, but I assure you she is in safe hands with me, also I don't wish her being embarrassed," he motioned to Fandrel and Balder and Sif nodded understanding his meaning.

"Very well, but we will be standing by to help if need be." She motioned to Balder and Fandrel to let Theoric lift Sigyn. Balder inquired why she was letting him, and Sif quietly explained making Balder blush some.

"But we wouldn't look."

"You wouldn't, and I doubt Fandrel would, but Theoric is being conscious of Lady Freya's daughter, as he has a right to." She looked over at Theoric who had carefully gotten Sigyn on his shoulder and was now holding her ankles. Sigyn reached up and up more, pulling herself onto her tip toes.

"Just a bit more Lady Sigyn, you're doing lovely," Sif cheered her.

"Reach a bit more," Thor urged as her hand brushed the arrow. Loki passively watched and scowled some as her fingers nearly hooked onto it. Had they just the others lift her she would have had a grip on it, rather than struggling foolishly. He glimpsed at Theoric who seemed to be trying to coach her, though he wore a nervous look to his brow. Loki was sure he would get tired after a time and set her down, he began to wonder if he could maybe use a spell to float her up some, if the others held her up.

"I don't think she's going to get it." Fandrel shook his head and motioned to Balder, "It's too high for her."

"Yes but if we don't let her try, she'd probably feel bad about making us fix this problem," Balder was saying and Loki crossed his arms. He carefully moved his fingers casting a small spell on the arrow. While he could not touch the tree, the arrow was another matter. He wiggled his index and middle finger together in the slightest motion, rocking the arrow some to loosen it from the tree branch's grasp, allowing Sigyn to get a grip on it. When she managed to grab it the others let out a cheer.

"Now use the tip of the dagger gently, Sigyn," Sif instructed and Sigyn nodded as she carefully slipped the tip against the arrow's head. Loki decreased the strength of the spell and watched as she pried the arrow out. He moved a bit closer to keep his eye on how far she had it out, and waited to see if he had to loosen it more. However being up close he caught comments from Theoric.

"I cannot believe that you let the Prince get that close to you Sigyn. You don't need to cover for him if he did cause this."

"I told you I shot the arrow Theoric, now please; I'm trying to concentrate here." She furrowed her brow as she worked the dagger up and down. "Just a bit more, I almost have it."

"Good, once you have it out, I shall return you to your sister," he told her. "Promise me you won't see him again."

"How can I, he's the prince, and I don't think our paths will cross that much." Sigyn told him and Theoric remarked.

"True, but don't you find it odd that he just happened to be here? Not to say anything against him Sigyn, but you are a pretty young lady, I would hate for you to wind up in one of his pranks, or worse," He paused a moment and looked up at her. "He could stalk you. I wouldn't find it at all surprising if you became one of his new targets. I don't trust the boy, he's far too clever. Though perhaps if he were more like his brother I wouldn't be as worried with you around him, then again, he is the Prince of Evil."

If looks could kill Theoric would have already dropped dead. Loki didn't mind being called Prince of Tricks, or God of Mischief, or even the Prince of Lies, he did all that and he never once denied it. But being called evil, it was a word that chilled him to the bone. Evil was only a word used for enemies and demons, evil described something that was dangerous and had no remorse, evil was something he was not. With no bit of regret he conjured a large black beetle to crawl up Theoric's boot, then his leg. The older man twitched some feeling it crawl and looked down.

Loki had miscalculated on the reaction. Theoric was terrified of large insects like the bug he saw now and tried to shoo it off his leg. The action caused him to lose his balance just as Sigyn had gotten the arrow out. She let out a shriek as Theoric fell from under her and she felt air for a second then hit the ground hard. Neither moved for a second, causing the group to freeze, and then Theoric moaned out as Balder and Fandrel rushed to his side while Sif and Thor hurried to Sigyn's. Loki followed his brother, after hesitating for a second, and knelt down by Sigyn who looked dazed.

"Lady Sigyn, Lady Sigyn, can you hear me?" Sif asked in a loud voice as she cradled the young girl in her arms. Loki looked over at Theoric who was now being helped to his feet. He ignored the man and looked at Sigyn.

"Did she hit her head?" He asked and Thor shook his head.

"I don't think so," Sigyn glanced around then slowly sat up. "Ah, Sigyn, are you alright? That was a bad spill you had there."

"I…I don't know," she admitted and rested her hands on Sif and Thor's forearms; she tried to push up to stand. That was when Loki saw her face twist in pain and she let out a scream falling against his brother and gripping her right wrist. Balder hurried over, as he had been working with Eri, the healer, and asked Loki what was wrong?

"I don't know," Loki admitted numbly, though he had a good guess. Judging by the way her wrist looked he was sure she had broken it, and he was the cause. A surge of guilt bubbled up from his gut and Loki felt sick. He had not to hurt her, just pay Theoric back for his cruel comments. Sigyn sobbed when Balder touched the wrist and Theoric was frantically asking why Sigyn had screamed out.

"No good, I think she broke it." Balder paled and Thor rocked the girl against him. He'd seen his mother do the same with Loki when he was upset, and knew that it had helped his younger brother feel better.

"Can you mend it?" Loki asked and Balder shook his head, "Why not?"

"I don't have that sort of magic skills Loki," Balder said with a clipped tone as Fandrel brought over Theoric asking.

"So what do we do?"

"We're going to need to get her to see Eri," Sif said, got up, and before taking off at a run for the house said. "I'm going to go get Idunn and Bragi. We're going to need to get her into the house first."

Thor nodded and scooped up Sigyn who was sweating now and before Thor could say anything Loki put a spell around her wrist to trap it against her chest. "It needs to be kept stable, correct; I can do that for her so that she doesn't have more pain."

"My thanks brother, just keep up with me." Thor told him and took off at a sprinting run. Loki raced after him concentrating on keeping Sigyn's wrist to her chest, it was the least he could do after breaking it.


	6. Chapter 6: A Trickster's Kindness

**_A/N: I've been looking over the lengths of the chapter and I'm going to split them into twos. Chapter 6 forward will be the new updated chapters. Thank you so much for reading I'm enjoying writing this._**

**_Copyright: You've seen it before, Thor and all of Asgard belong to Marvel Comics, created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Sigyn was adopted by Roy Thomas and John Buscema._**

In one moment everything changed. The last thing Sigyn remembered before waking up and seeing Sif, Thor, and Loki looking down at her was the feeling of grasping the arrow, her fingers around the wood as she yanked it out. She had smiled triumphantly, and then, chaos happened. She didn't know how or why, but the world shifted. Theoric lost his balance and the secure pressure she felt around her ankles vanished. She could see the branch just above her, and then felt the cool rush of air as she descended from it, her fingers reaching out trying to make a desperate grab before she fell. But it was no use and she twisted to at least stop herself from hitting her back. A sharp pain ripped through her body as she hit the ground hard, and then that same pain made her black out for a moment.

When her sense came back, before she opened her eyes, she could feel the cool tickles of the grass under her, and smell the moist dirt of the garden. Sigyn heard the voices of the others screaming, Theoric moan, and then saw them, Sif cradling her talking to her in the same tone that Nanna took when she had fallen from a chair when she was a small child. She looked at them slowly, trying to not feel dizzy or sick. Thor's booming voice pounded in her head, though he was talking quieter, and clearly trying to be as gentle as possible. She wanted to lie down, she wanted to throw up, her body was shaking and she couldn't think right.

"Are you alright?" the thunder God asked as she tried to get a handle on her surrounds. Sigyn felt Sif sit her up slowly, both the young warrior's hand and Thor's pressed onto her back to hold her steady. "That was a bad spill you had there."

"I…I don't know," Sigyn intoned. She just wanted to stand, needed to stand and spit or something. Bile was building up in her gut, something was wrong, something was terribly wrong but she didn't know what. She was in pain, but her body was not responding to her commands. Deciding to remedy the situation Sigyn put her hands on the two older teen's arms and tried to push up. That's when she felt a sharp pain race through her veins and all over her whole body and she let out a shriek before falling back over grasping her wrist, and writhing some. Thankfully Thor was there to catch her and she sobbed against him.

_It hurts!_ Sigyn thought as the burning sensation passed up her arm, through her elbow and up her shoulders, at the same time it traveled down her fingers of her right hand. Her wrist, she couldn't move her wrist without it making her scream_. Oh gods, did I break it? No…it hurts. Why does it hurt so much?_

She buried her head against Thor as she heard someone come over and Loki converse quickly with the young man named Balder.

"What's wrong with her?" She peeked up to see Balder kneel down beside Thor and look at Loki.

"I don't know," the Prince of Mischief said and Balder gave him a look as if to call him incompetent. Casting his gaze at Sigyn he asked softly.

"Where does it hurt?"

She couldn't answer, when she tried to talk all that came out was a moan of pain. Balder's young features twisted into something older and worried as he started to gently press down on her arm. Sigyn was reminded of the times her mother's healer had come to see her and done the same thing when checking to see if she had a sore throat. Balder kept muttering to her, asking her if it hurt where he touched. The motion caused her to whimper, and then scream when he came to her wrist. He jolted back and then examined it as best he could before stating that it was broken.

Sigyn kept winking in and out of a state of being awake, and caught snippets of conversations. She heard Balder and Loki seemingly argue, Fandrel asking what they should do, and Sif telling them that they needed to get her to the house and get Eri, the healer, to look at her. Sigyn moaned out, suddenly more scared about seeing Idunn then anything. She felt Thor lift her up and clenched her teeth trying not to scream again. She pressed her wrist to her chest, but was finding it hard to hold it, until something seemed to hold it down for her.

Sigyn looked at her wrist to see a green energy encase it, containing the pain, and pushing it down to hold it steady. True she could still feel the pain, but it was at least a bit more tolerable then before. She lifted her head slightly to glimpse Loki pulling his hand back, and realized he'd cast a spell on it.

"Thank you," she muttered quietly as she rested against Thor trying not to pass out again. If Loki heard he made no indication he was going to respond at the moment. Suddenly they were moving, faster than she thought possible over the grounds of the garden, it was almost like flying, and she partly wondered if Thor had become a bird.

"Sigyn, don't fall asleep," Loki hissed to her and she caught his green eyes for just a moment. Her mind was hazy so she wasn't sure if she saw a flicker of worry cross them as he continued to speak. "If you sleep you might not wake up for a long while, and we don't want that. Besides, you never did answer my question and you can't sleep till you do."

"Loki, do not upset her," Thor told him but Sigyn managed to muster out.

"I don't answer questions from people who ask in such a manner," she looked up at Thor. "Theoric is he alright?"

"Aye, he's fine, bruised I'm sure," Thor told her earnestly and looked ahead as he hopped over some rocks rather than take the long path to get to the bridge that crossed a stream. "But don't worry about him, you need to stay calm and think about how nice the day is, and that everything will be fine."

"Why did I fall?" she weakly asked and then stiffed a sob as Thor kicked open a gate, forcing Loki to lose some concentration as he hopped the fence.

"You're brilliant friend saw a bug," Loki informed her grimly. He waved his hands spreading some branches that had got in their path so that Thor could get through without having to move Sigyn, and hurried along after them. "Got scared and dropped you. That's what happened."

"A bug?" she asked weakly, the pain was coming back as again Loki moved objects out of Thor's way. It seemed every time he had another spell to do the one he had on her wrist that was slowly the spread of pain became weaker. Sigyn supposed, as she tried to dwell on anything else but the pain she was feeling, that he was still learning how to use multiple spells at the same time.

Loki nodded, and a scowl came over his face, "Yes a large black beetle."

"He's terrified of bugs like that," Sigyn said and took slow deep breaths. "H-how did you see it?"

"I was standing near him," was all Loki answered and looked at Thor pointing to his right. "There's a short cut there, Brother, behind that rock; we can use it to get to the house faster."

"Are you sure?" Thor regarded him tensely and Loki nodded. Thor turned right and to his surprise, he ran right through a large bolder that was off to the side and out near another just a few feet from the house. Glancing at Loki he asked. "What about the others."

"They can find their way back I'm sure," he smirke, Sigyn glimpsed the look on his face and it was clear to her that he was glad about something.

"Were they following us?" Sigyn closed her eyes some and Loki snapped.

"Wake up, and yes they were."

"I can't help it, I'm tired."

"Lady Sigyn, you should stay awake, we don't know if you hit your head," Thor told her and she looked at Loki who was watching her like a hawk to see if she dared to close her eyes. She nodded her head slowly to keep it from throbbing more, and Thor saw Sif hastening towards them with Idunn and Bragi at her heels. The blonde woman had been crying and Bragi had a stern appearance as he rushed up. Both rushed to embrace the girl in his arms as Thor explained to them what happened.

"Thank Odin it wasn't worse," Bragi said in a worried tone as he stroked Sigyn's forehead. Idunn wiped Sigyn's tears even as she cried herself.

"You silly girl, you could have killed yourself."

"No I couldn't have," Sigyn tried to joke, "I'm immortal."

"That's not the point!" Idunn snapped, and Sigyn gave her an apologetic look as Idunn covered her face. "I thought…I thought we had lost you. If something had happened to you, I don't know what I would have done."

"I'm sorry sister," Sigyn said, as tears glistened in her eyes and winced as Loki removed the spell for the moment. Thor carefully handed her over to Bragi who led them inside the house as Sif followed.

"How bad is it?" Idunn asked Thor as they walked in and Bragi laid Sigyn gently on the couch. Her sister took a cool cloth and tried to clean the dirt around the wrist. Each touch hurt and she bit her lip hard enough that she could taste blood in her mouth.

"We don't know, Balder said he thought it was broken."

"And Eri is in the court," Bragi crossed his arms thinking. He sighed loudly and turned to get his cloak. "I'm going to go and get her. Was anyone else hurt?"

"Only an idiot, but I think his skull was thick enough to counter any pain he may have experienced," Loki said pointedly. Bragi turned to face the younger man and came up to him. The older man stood at least several inches taller than the young prince and his brown eyes held nothing but contempt at the moment for Loki.

"Such comments only come from those who have no regret for seeing others in pain, Loki Odinson."

Loki stared back and pulled himself to his full height to face Bragi with an unreadable expression to his face. "I merely state facts, Bragi, nothing more, and speak of the dunce who injured your sister there on the couch."

Idunn looked up confused, "Injured her? What do you mean?"

"He means that there was an accident," Thor countered and Bragi nodded slowly. "I shall explain to you on the way to the court. It might be hard to get in at the moment as the ceremony is taking place."

Bragi gave the younger man a small smile, "Aye, but there are other ways in. Come." He looked to Loki and added, "No mischief Loki, understand?"

"Aye, yes, yes," Loki waved the comment off quickly and put his fist on his hip looking annoyed. "None shall happen, there's no reason for it."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Sif told Bragi who gave her an affirmative tip of the head before he and Thor left the room. Loki shot Sif a dubious look, then found interest in a random vase.

"Do I look like a pet, Sif?"

"If you wish to act like a bad dog, then I shall treat you as one Loki," she said going over to Idunn. Sigyn looked up at her sister and then at Sif. Loki watched at a distance, trying to seem not interested but kept glimpsing over at every little noise she made. "Has the pain worsened Lady Sigyn?"

Sigyn shook her head some, and then regretted doing so as the room swam. Her sister gave her a worried look and stroked her brow gently.

"What happened?"

"I don't…It just hurts Idunn." Sigyn said trying not to think about the fall. She was already worried about her Mother's reaction since Bragi would be going in to see them at the court. No doubt as soon as they came in Freya would notice, she figured, and if her mother observed them she would insist upon going to see her. Syn would yell at her for ruining the biggest event in her life and there would be tense feelings for at least several months after. Her main worry was that Idunn would get in trouble for the arrow in the tree.

"It will be alright," Idunn told her and looked at Loki stating, "Prince Loki, could you please go and get some apple cider in the hall over there."

Loki looked up at her from running his finger over a vase, and tilted his head.

"Apple cider?"

"Yes, to help Sigyn, it should help her feel better."

Loki gave a short bow and walked out. Idunn quickly then asked in a soft voice to Sigyn and Sif, "Did the young prince have anything to do with this? I know he's one for pranks and it may have been one that got out of hand."

Sif shook her head and replied softly, "Nay in this case it was a pure accident. Loki had little to do with your sister falling, though I do think he may have had something to do with the set up."

"Set up?" Idunn asked and Sigyn suddenly let out a cry that forced the two to drop their conversation and deal with helping her stop crying.

"It hurts!" Sigyn shouted loudly, praying that she could distract Sif from talking about the arrow in the tree. She wasn't sure if the older girl would tell Idunn about it, but she didn't want her sister knowing that she had shot the arrow, because that would lead to questions as to why she had picked up a bow and arrow in the first place. Loki's head shot in from around the corner and he looked at the group with wide eyes.

"What happened?"

"Just a jolt of pain Loki," Sif told him as he brought the pitcher and a glass into the room. Idunn motioned to Sif to get it and the older teen poured a small glass for the girl. Sigyn sipped the cider quietly, she stared to close her eyes again, and Loki snapped his fingers loudly in her ear. Sigyn winced and opened her eyes as Sif gave Loki a cold glare.

"Loki, you don't have to do that to her. We can keep her awake."

He nodded and went over to a window to look outside. Sigyn watched him as her sister carefully poured the cider in her mouth and helped her swallow. His back was tense for some reason and she wondered if he was actually worried about her, then again, she considered, so were the others. Sigyn rested against her sister and Sif opened a window before motioning for Loki to follow her out of the room. Once they were gone Idunn looked down at Sigyn, tears stinging her blue eyes as she questioned.

"So what was the prince talking about to Bragi sister? How did you injure yourself so badly? To break a wrist, you had to fall from some place high. Don't tell me you were climbing a tree Sigyn."

"Nay Idunn, I was not," Sigyn said and pursed her lips before speaking again. "I was trying to get an apple from too high up, and fell off Theoric's shoulders when he was holding me."

Idunn frowned and stroked the back of her neck. "Holding you up to get an apple, but Sigyn you know that the apples lower are easier to get."

"I know, but I just wanted to get a high one, I heard they were sweeter" she said and saw Idunn saw through her lie. Blushing she looked away. "Sister, please, just believe my story and let it go."

"Sigyn, I can't just…" Idunn started when Var came in looking puzzled.

"Idunn, Lady Sif and Prince Loki went outside. There are two men at the door I don't know and Theoric's there too. He's fighting with Prince Loki."

"Fighting with the prince, but why?" Idunn said and carefully put some pillows under Sigyn's head, "I'll be right back, and don't move your wrist." Sigyn nodded as Idunn patted Var on the back and bade her to stay by Sigyn, "give her cider slowly Var, and don't let her fall to sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Var said and came over by Sigyn who gave her sister a weak smile. "You got hurt didn't you?"

"Yes, where's Snotra?" Sigyn inquired trying to get her sister to not ask too many questions.

"Upstairs taking a nap," she hopped onto the couch. "So how did you get hurt?"

"I fell," Sigyn said and heard muffled shouting from outside. She narrowed her brow, "Var could you open the window wider, it's hot in here."

"No it's not," the little girl countered as she played with Sigyn's skirt. "Why is it ripped?"

"I fell, now could you please open the window a bit moer, I'm hot Var." Sigyn said and let out a deep sigh ignoring the pain for a moment, and then relaxed seeing the green glow come back. Var got up and huffed, muttering about bossy, cranky sisters. She pushed the window open wider as she heard Lady Sif shout.

"Theoric, please calm yourself; Loki is right that she shouldn't have too many people in there with her."

"Lady Sif I simply wish to see Sigyn to check in on her condition, and to apologize for allowing her to be hurt." Theoric was saying as Balder remarked in a concerned tone.

"You can when Eri has checked her Theoric. I'm sure she'll happily listen and forgive you for it. It wasn't your fault."

"You're right in that it was not my fault; it was the fault of the fool that stands before me!" Theoric growled and she heard Loki's smug voice drip with sarcasm.

"Careful, Accolade Theoric, this fool can get you removed from your post."

"Are you accusing Loki of something, Theoric?" Fandrel asked and Sigyn could picture his hand moving for the hilt of his sword in the event there was a fight.

"Aye, I'm sure that this trickster planted a bug on me to make me fall over."

"How could he plant a bug on you when we were all there?" Balder asked incredulously, "Loki's a jerk, but I don't think even he would be willing to do that while you had Lady Sigyn on your shoulders."

"He's a dishonest snake, look at his face, Lord Balder if you do not believe me," Theoric said heatedly. "I have no idea how he did it, but I am certain he did. He was upset that I came in when he was making a pass at Lady Sigyn."

"I was not," Loki sniffed, "Why would I be making passes at children?"

"She is not a child," Theoric shot back, his voice rising. "And I heard from Ladies Seli and Lari that you asked them to help you play a prank on Sigyn."

"Is that true Loki?" Sif asked and Sigyn looked at Var who was watching out the window.

"What's happening out there?"

"Theoric's in a fighting stance near the prince, he looks really mad," Var told her as she leaned on the sill, "Lady Sif's a bit between the prince and Theoric, and the other two boys look like they're ready to grab him if he makes a move." She cocked her head, "and Prince Loki has this weird smile on his face, like something really funny, but I don't see what that is."

Sigyn let out a long sigh, and heard more shouting.

"No, I'm sure that they were just being petty because I was talking to Lady Sigyn," Loki's tone took on its charming nature again. "And she can confirm that."

"Oh that was certainly talking, pushing her against a tree," Theoric growled darkly. "Were you intending to kiss her, my Prince?"

"Theoric just stop this, accusing Loki will do you no good. Whatever he and Lady Sigyn were doing before you came in was none of your concern," Fandrel said sternly. "You're only making the lady, look bad, and we all know Loki can't flirt to save his life."

"I don't know whether to be insulted or complimented by that Fandrel," Loki spat back and she caught Theoric huffing. His voice got softer as he spoke to them.

"My Prince, I will ask you once more, please move so that I may see Sigyn."

"Over my dead body," Loki sneered and Sigyn could then hear several shouts and the noises of a fight. Var hopped up and down and called over to Sigyn.

"It's a fight! Theoric tried to hit the prince, and the other two boys grabbed him."

_I have to get out there and stop them_, Sigyn thought, but found she couldn't move and whimpered cursing her luck, wishing she had been stronger. _Father what do I do?_

Tears stung her eyes; she didn't want a fight over her. Why had she even picked up the bow? Var noticed her crying and came off the window to comfort her. The two girls could hear Sif shouting at Loki to calm down and Fandrel telling Theoric to let it go. Just as Var was stroking her sister's hair Sigyn heard Idunn's voice enter the fray. In one swift second everything was silence.

"Just what are you children doing?" She exclaimed coming outside and Var went back over to the window to watch. She described what she saw to Sigyn who listened to her sister and the others. Idunn marched over to the group and looked at them in a harsh way that made everyone stop moving. "Don't you realize my sister is not well, and you lot are not going to help her shouting like infants over a toy."

"My Lady Idunn, the trickster here will not allow me to pass." Theoric defended himself as Idunn came over to him, hands on her hips.

"As I would not either, given the fact that she was on your shoulders when she fell was she not?"

"Aye, my lady that is true, but I swear on my word as a Crimson Hawk, that the Prince had something to do with my permitting your sister to fall. I do not know how he magicked it, but he did, and there upon my leg was a beetle as large as a fist. You know of my fear, I lost control and harmed your sister and for that I am humble." Theoric told her as Idunn waved her hand to silence him.

"Enough Theoric, regardless of how the beetle got on your leg, magicked or not, it still doesn't change the fact that you dropped her. I am holding you responsible for this, and you will make up for it, Theoric of the Crimson Hawks, is that clear?"

"Aye," he bowed and she looked to Fandrel and Balder.

"I ask now that you please take Theoric and leave here, Lady Sif and the Prince may stay for now until my husband returns with Thor and Eri."

Fandrel and Balder gave her short bows and Theoric did likewise, but his eyes locked with Loki as if challenging the Prince and warning him he would not forget this. Loki just gave him a satisfied smirk, which Idunn caught and turned to face Loki saying.

"And you my Prince, if I find out that it was a prank of yours that caused this mess, I will not hesitate to tell your father on you. So keep that in mind and mind what you say in my home." With that Idunn walked back inside. Var moved quickly to the seat and Sigyn heard Sif talking in a low voice to Loki then the other two entering the house. Idunn came back in the room and looked to Var, "Did she move?"

"No she was very good," said Var and smiled as Idunn sat back down to wait. Sigyn said nothing and fell into a half sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: A Deal while Mending

_**A/N: Bragi was one of Odin's sons, his role in Marvel from what I know is limited to a few appearances but his Wife Idunn, Sigyn's sister, has appeared as recently as Fear itself arch, which hopefully means that maybe Marvel will at least re-introduce Sigyn back into the staple, even if it's just to act as something small for the time being.**_

_**Copyright: Loki, Sigyn, and all other members of the Marvel Norse Pantheon are owned by Marvel Comics, and were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Leiber, as well as Roy Thomas and John Buscema.**_

Sigyn wasn't sure _when _Thor and Bragi had come back, but she was sure they were back when she heard their voices out in the hallway grow louder, Thor asking where Balder, Theoric and Fandrel had gone to.

"Lady Idunn asked them to leave," Sif explained. "Theoric was about to wage war with your brother."

"What? Why?" Thor asked her as Loki's voice cut in.

"I does not matter Brother, the fool has already left."

"We will talk about this later Loki, I want to know what happened," Thor intoned sternly. Sigyn slowly sat up, wincing. She looked at her wrist and saw that the green glow was actually stronger; raising it to her eyes she examined it, and poked at the filmy enchantment. It felt warm to the touch and at the same time oddly cold. Unsure what to make of it, Sigyn ran her fingers around, watching as it misted and small spiraling tendrils of smoke rose up from the spell.

"Enjoying playing with my magic?" Loki asked from behind her and she started. Sigyn twisted to look back at him, noticed him shut the door, and moved to sit in a chair that had been pulled up to the couch. She regarded him with a nod then leaned back down.

"I was curious what you're doing to my wrist."

"A simple spell, part pain killer, part healing, though it can't mend or fix the bone." He told her leaning on the arms and folding his hands before his lips. "Now my turn, why did you not allow Lady Sif to tell about how you injured yourself?"

"I'm not a rat, my Prince. If you wish to confess as to what you saw that is your place, but I would rather not have to explain about getting the arrow down." She told him and continued to play with the spell. Loki watched her and moved his hand to make it follow her reactions. Her lips quirked some in an amused smile as she turned one end into a twisting vine that lingered in the air before it came back down, "Though I have to ask if _you_ _are_, my Prince."

Loki considered her keenly, and raised a brow at this. "_I?_ Why would you assume that _I_ would say _anything_?"

"You didn't defend yourself when Theoric accused you of planting something on him," Sigyn asked and Loki stared hard at her. "Did you, Prince Loki?"

His green eyes did not waver from hers as she stared at him accusingly, however he didn't say he didn't. She frowned, he was a tricky one, Sigyn couldn't tell if he was trying to get her to believe him by not saying anything, or admitting his guilt. She scowled and went back to playing with the smoky trails from his spell. Loki laughed and his lips tipped up into a small smile as he tapped his fingers just under his nose, noting, "You were listening in on our little conversation now, were you Lady Sigyn? How undignified of a young woman, though I'm sure you were only curious, it's how everyone is about things that matter to them."

He lowered his hands, his teeth showing slightly with his smile as his eyes glimmered with delight, "Does the Hawk matter to you Sigyn? Or do I?"

Sigyn locked eyes with him for a moment wondering if the last part was a joke, or did he actually hope she cared? His eyes didn't falter from hers; in fact he actually stared more intently at her daring her to say something. Sigyn looked away, and Loki leaned back with a smirk, she suddenly felt like she had lost an important game of sorts with him, but didn't understand why it bugged her so much.

"You never did answer my question earlier, Sigyn," he smiled at her in a devious manner. She didn't look back at him, "But I think I know the answer to it now."

"You do?' She asked skeptically and lifted her head to hear his answer. Loki grinned at her from behind his entwined fingers as he leaned forward on the chair.

"I think you became so outraged that you were willing to fire a shot at them, maybe not to kill them but hurt them, yes. You wanted to hurt them as much as they hurt you, and you wanted to do it in a way that they would never forget." When Sigyn didn't respond he continued. "But then you got nervous, scared, you realized that if they turned around and saw you holding the arrow you would have had to fire and kill them both to shut them up. To cover it, that was what you would have had to do next. Wasn't that what you were thinking, Lady Sigyn?"

Sigyn stared at him in horror as Loki beamed at her. He chuckled, "I suppose you are grateful that I came when I did."

He rose and moved over to the couch, placing his palms flat on the arm and rested his weight there casting his shadow over her. "You're an interesting girl, Lady Sigyn. Shall we keep this a secret between us, you don't tell them about how Theoric found us, and I shall keep your little slip of passion a secret."

Sigyn was about to reject the offer when she heard people coming closer and Loki whispered in her ear, "I suggest you take it, I can be very convincing in telling tales, my Lady."

Gritting her teeth, Sigyn nodded and shot him a dark glare. How could this boy be so kind one moment, and in the next be so utterly terrible. He laughed gleefully at the look upon her face as Bragi and Idunn came in followed by an older woman with a long brown braid and gentle brown eyes. She was dressed in a light bronze colored gown, and was carrying a small bag that rattled as she walked. Sigyn assumed this was Eri the Goddess of healing. Bragi looked between them and Loki smiled cheerfully.

"I was just entertaining Lady Sigyn," Loki expressed and motioned to the now strange patterns that the smoke around Sigyns wrist had made. She looked to him, met his eyes, and gave a nod. Eri knelt down next to her and looked at the spell around her wrist, then gave Loki an admiring look.

"It seems you remembered that spell I taught you from when you fell down the stairs that one time." Loki's face stayed cheery, but the way his shoulders moved Sigyn could see he was flustered by the comment. "It was wise of you to put it on her Loki, but you can take it off now. I'll mend this."

Loki complied and Sigyn suddenly felt a sharp pain run from her wrist up and down her arm. The smoky spell slithered off her wrist, down to the floor and up to Loki's waiting hand, where he caught it in his palm making it dissipate.

"I suggest you take your leave with the others," Bragi told Loki, who gave a bow and turned to exit the room. Sigyn caught him smirking as he looked back at her and she mouthed.

"I will get you back for this."

"We will see," he retorted silently and shut the door behind him. Sigyn could hear the voice of Thor asking if she was well, to which Loki implied that Eri was going to take care of it. Sif seemed to think it was best to leave and that she would come back later in the evening to talk to Idunn and see how well Sigyn was doing. Sigyn listened to their voices as they departed getting farther and farther. She tried to focus on Eri who, checked her head first to see if she had a concussion from the fall, then used a healing stone and various spells to mend her wrist, but it was hard not to think of the deal she had just made with Loki. Would he betray her when it was the most convenient for him? Or would he actually keep his word as long as she kept hers?

Her mind was reeling at thoughts of the older boy. He was part angel and part devil. She'd seen genuine worry on his face when he was with Thor, but then it had twisted when alone with her when she was feeling a bit better. He'd been willing to expend his magic to help her, yet he was the reason she had sent the arrow into the tree. Then there was the whole fact that he had come so intimately close to her so often, teasing and tricking her with sweet and sour words. He seemed to want to protect her, but at the same gesture possess her. So what was he? Angel, demon, both?

Sigyn's thoughts were wrapped in her conundrum that she didn't hear Eri ask a question until the third time.

"Lady Sigyn," the healer asked again a bit louder and Sigyn concentrated her attention on the older woman. She gave her a smile. "I know that you're trying not to think of the pain, but please try to listen, I need to know if this hurts."

She gently moved her wrist and Sigyn winced slightly, "Not as much."

"Good, the spell is working then," she took two cool flat gray stones from her bag, and then some cloth. Carefully balancing the stones on Sigyn's wrist, top and bottom, she started to wrap it up, then added to yellow stones at the right and left and finished wrapping the wrist up. Standing Eri looked at Idunn who inquired.

"Will my sister's wrist be alright?"

Eri nodded slowly and Idunn looked relieved. She started to pack her stuff away as she spoke to all three of them.

"I'm going to talk to your mother Lady Idunn. Sigyn needs to have that wrapped up for a month and a half. After that I would suggest not aggravating it for a few months and slowly working on its movements. The stones will mend the bone, but she needs to be careful, at least till after the midwinter celebration."

"That should not be too bad Sigyn; it's already late summer, and autumns almost here." Bragi said kindly. Eri nodded and he asked, "Do you think that it would be wise to have her stay with us until her wrist heals so you can look in at her?"

"Aye, that's a wise idea," Eri took a scarf out and helped Sigyn sit up. Wrapping the arm up like a sling the healer looked at the younger girl. "I'm going to suggest no archery until winter, and even then you're going to have to do it carefully."

"Alright," Sigyn promised and looked at her sister who smiled hugging her.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Sigyn," Sigyn nodded as Bragi walked Eri out of the room thanking her again for leaving the event to tend to Sigyn. Idunn waited till they left and cast a somber look at her sister. "Var told me you were listening to the argument outside."

"Prince Loki didn't want Theoric to come in here," she said softly and Idunn nodded.

"Yes, while I agree with him, I don't agree to how he went about doing it," she looked sympathetically at her younger sister and stroked her hair. "For now, I think you should stay away from both until the air has settled between them. Theoric does not trust the prince, and I get the suspicion that there is a reason behind the Prince Loki's dislike of our old friend. Promise me you won't see them?"

"I swear to you, I won't see either," Sigyn told her dutifully. "Do you think Mother will be mad?"

"I'm not sure, but we shall find out this evening. No doubt she will come see us."

Sigyn swallowed and gave a short nod. Getting up off the couch she and Idunn went into the kitchen where Idunn got her a meal. Sitting opposite her sister Sigyn ate soup slowly and Idunn curiously watched her eat. Feeling eyes upon her Sigyn asked, "You have questions."

"Many, but I'll wait till you feel better to ask you about them. Though I must know, why were you with Prince Loki alone in the garden Sigyn?"

Sigyn sat up and pushed the bowl away, "If you're implying we were together there, we were not. He happened to come in on the tail end of an argument that I had with two girls that started to bother me. We were talking when Theoric came along and got the wrong idea. That is all."

Idunn nodded and stared at her sister, "But the way Theoric was talking."

"That was all there was Idunn, nothing more," Sigyn slapped her hand on the counter and Idunn's gaze moved from the hand to her sister's face. Sigyn calmed some and said quietly, "honestly Idunn, I would never do such a thing with a son of Odin. It would look bad, not only for me, but for Mother." She waved off Idunn's concern, "You don't have to worry about me. Prince Loki is not my type."

"I should hope not," her mother's voice startled both of them, and Sigyn looked over at the doorway where Freya stood, her lips pursed and brow narrowed. The Goddess stalked towards them slowly, placing her cloak down on a chair and looked between her daughters. "That _Prince_ is not going to marry any of my daughters."

"That _Prince_ helped me when I was in trouble earlier, don't speak about him like that, it's rude." Sigyn shot her mother a cool look as Freya met her eye and scowled, her age showing some on her beautiful face.

"Mother, you're earlier then I thought," Idunn said, and hurried around the table to embrace Freya. Sigyn just sat there as Idunn said, "Sigyn, aren't you going to say hello to Mother?"

"Hello," Sigyn intoned in a low voice not looking up from her hands as Freya sighed deeply. Idunn took the moment to go get her mother a drink and brought it over to her. The Goddess waved it off and looked at Sigyn.

"Sigyn, do you know what you've done?"

"No mother, I don't," Sigyn started and Idunn quickly interjected.

"Mother this is no fault of Sigyn's, it was an accident between children," Freya shot her a look of irritation and Idunn lowered her voice some. "Come Mother you must understand, things like this happen."

"Oh yes things like this happen, of course Idunn," Freya walked over to the fire place, picked up a poker and stoked it. She glanced at Sigyn as she spoke, "Do you know what happen at the party Sigyn? Your brother –in –law and Thor, the son of Odin, burst in on at party that was being held in honor of your sister."

"It wasn't just for Syn, Mother," Sigyn countered and Freya complied as she continued.

"And dragged Eri out to help you; do you know what that made me look like, how it affected Syn?" Sigyn didn't reply as Freya scowled. "Once again I have to sooth the view of this family. Did I not tell you to behave?"

"You told Lofn to behave mother," Sigyn spat back turning her spoon in her bowl. Freya raised her head, looking down upon her daughter. Idunn took the poker from her mother and quickly put it back as she hovered at the ready to keep her mother from setting off some violent magic in her emotional state.

"It doesn't matter who I told to do what, I expected you all to behave. And now what happened?" she waved her hand pacing back and forth rubbing her brow some in a theatrical manner. "Your sister makes a fool of herself at the guest party, and you, you decide to break your wrist. I hear from Theoric and Lofn that Prince Loki was at both events. No doubt he had some hand in matters."

"Mother don't speak of him like that, Loki had nothing to do with my breaking my wrist. Theoric slipped when I was on his shoulders." Sigyn told her honestly and Freya frowned.

"And why were you on Theoric's shoulders?"

"Getting an apple," Sigyn replied and Idunn quickly whispered something to their mother which seemed to calm the Goddess down. The woman let out a short breath and clucked some.

"Well wasn't that too convenient," Sigyn raised an eyebrow as her mother came over to her to examine the sling. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not as much."

"Idunn tells me Eri doesn't wish you to travel?"

"Bragi said she could stay here so Eri could look in on her," Idunn explained and Freya gave a short nod. Sigyn watched her mother's expression go from angry, to sad, then to resign.

"Very well, and you agreed to this Sigyn?" Sigyn gave a short nod. "And how long will you be here?"

"A month and a half," Idunn said as Sigyn remarked in the same instant.

"Till Midwinter," the two girls looked at one another as Freya regarded them curiously.

"Which is it?"

"She said it would take a month and a half to heal, but at least till Midwinter to make sure she had a true recovery." Idunn told her and Frey nodded slowly. Idunn moved to hold Sigyn's shoulders as she spoke, "Sigyn will be no trouble, and I know that she can help me with the garden and it might help her in figuring out what sort of study she would like to take on when she turns fifteen, isn't that right Sigyn."

"Yes, of course," Sigyn told Freya, who gave a slow nod, and sifted her eyes between her two daughters. After what seemed like an eternity to Sigyn, which was only a few moments, Frey cupped her hands and looked to her elder daughter.

"Well then, I'll leave her in your capable hands; just don't let her injure herself again. I'll have a word with Theoric myself," Freya told her and picked up her cloak. "I will see you both outside to say good bye to your sisters."

Idunn and Sigyn gave their mother a bow, and Sigyn slid off the stool she sat upon to follow Freya and Idunn out of the house. In the small court yard the group of sisters all stood in their wraps. Snotra was being held by Sjofn who was letting her rest on her shoulder. Var was hopping up and down telling Bragi about all the excitement of the day, and Lofn sat moaning about not feeling good in the carriage. Syn by far was the worst of the lot, her make up running down in dark black streaks over her cheeks. When she saw Sigyn she got up and spat at her.

"You! This is all your fault, you know that! Look at my face, my beautiful make up ruined from crying so much, because you made a fool of yourself falling down. Now the court thinks I'm a terrible sister because I didn't rush off to follow Thor and Bragi when they got Eri, and it's all your fault."

"How is that my fault, exactly?" Sigyn asked confused as Sjofn rolled her eyes.

"She's just upset because the men she was talking to wanted to talk to Thor about what happened when he appeared, and she stupidly said that you fall down all the time, and acted like it was a big joke. I'm sure that she'll get over it," Syn shot her a dirty look, and Sjofn added, "Well you will. No one's going to think about it after a few days. There are probably other girls in the court that will make bigger fools of themselves soon enough. Then they won't even remember you at all."

Syn at that started to wail again and Idunn asked sweetly, "Sister Syn what's the matter now?"

"But that means they won't be paying attention to me!" she whined and Sigyn thanked the gods that she wasn't going home on this night. Once the farewells were done, Snotra telling Sigyn not to eat too many sweets so she didn't get sick again, and Var telling her to write, Sigyn stood outside waving with Bragi and Idunn. With the carriage off in the distance Idunn hurried inside saying she was going to find her sister something to wear for the night, leaving Sigyn with Bragi. He looked down at his younger sister-in-law and smiled kindly, "Come, I'll show you to your room, and you can settle in. I'll have some of my assistants go and get some clothing for you in the morning. "

Sigyn nodded and let the older man help her inside and led her up stairs to the room at the top of the house. Opening a door, with a carving of a tree on it, Bragi set down the candle he had on a small table, and went over to the fireplace lighting it. The room was still dimly lit, and he gently plumped the bed for her.

"It doesn't seem like much, but this room has the best view in the house. When the sun rises you can see all of Asgard," he told her as Sigyn sat on the bed. Bragi sat beside her and gave her a gentle hug. "I'm sorry you had this happen to you. Eri's stones will help; Thor was telling me that you were being very brave."

"Prince Loki helped that," she said and looked at her wrist. "He put a spell on it to keep the pain down and pin it to my chest when Prince Thor was carrying me."

"He told me that too," Bragi told her as he lit the lamps in the room. "There, that's better."

Sigyn excused herself when Idunn came in bringing a nightdress, and changed behind a curtain. When she came out he helped her into the bed and covered her up.

"So would you like a poem to help you sleep?" he asked her gently and Sigyn gave a nod. Bragi was the best poet in Asgard, if not all the nine realms. He'd been appointed by Odin as a personal orator at the All-Father's request and normally was at every feast or celebration that needed entertainment. Pulling a chair over and taking a book out of the book shelf, Bragi sat down beside her and opened it. "Now, would you like one of adventure? Ah but a young lady like yourself needs a tale of romance, not bloodshed, or maybe something witty to give you humorous dreams."

"Bragi," Sigyn suddenly asked, "can you, tell me anything about Prince Loki?"

He looked at her curiously, "What of him, dear sister?"

"Just, I don't understand him Bragi. He plays tricks, then acts nice, then…" she let off not wanting to say how he had come to enjoy speaking so intimately with her. Bragi gave a small smile and shut his book. "What is he really like?"

"Loki is…a liar, a trickster, and yet, as mischievous as he gets, he still loves this land. I remember when he came here." Bragi told her and Sigyn sat up more to listen intently, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her good arm around them. Bragi tapped the cover of his book thinking, "I was a year or so younger than Syn was when he came, Thor was already one year old and quiet the handful as it was. So when his mother let him see the baby for the first time, he thought that it was a present for him. Loki was seen as a gift from heaven, a new son of Asgard, someone that could bring luck to the people. He was a bit spoiled as a child at times by his mother so it's no wonder he is the way he is."

"But what makes him pull tricks?"

"Attention," Bragi said simply. "He longs for it, Odin…" Bragi paused and thought a moment. "Odin loves his sons, never think that he does not, but the man is peculiar. He tends to favor Thor for his strength and courage, whereas Frigga seems to favor Loki, but loves her sons equally. Odin, I don't think, ever really understood that Loki's strength is not in the way he fights, but in the way he plans. Do not underestimate his skills as a swordsman though, he's quite capable with the blade, and can battle with the best of them. He's clever, and very capable of setting up traps in games. You should see him play chess sometime; I don't think he has yet to lose in a game, except to his Father, and me of course."

Sigyn chuckled quitely and then looked down at her wrist.

"Is he ever truly kind?"

"Loki?" inquired Bragi and furrowed his brow as he thought. "He is, but only to the right kind of people. He's highly intelligence and so, he likes to show he's superior by tricking others he thinks are stupid, or, others he finds as interesting and intelligent as he is; which is why your sister wants you to be wary. Loki has a tendency to ah, stalk and take a heavy interest in those he finds fun to toy with, and once he starts to toy with you he won't stop till he's won, gets bored, or in some cases, feels the person is his equal on the playing field, and honestly I've never heard him call anyone his equal."

Sigyn buried her lips in her arm and muttered, "So at best I'm a toy that he likes and either I'll be lucky and he'll get bored, or won't quit till he's won the game. Maybe I should be as uninteresting as possible then."

"He'll know you're making it up, Sigyn," Bragi said patting her arm. "You have intelligent eyes, so trying to cover that will only annoy him or make him want to force you to show you can play."

Sigyn leaned back into her pillow and looked up at the ceiling, "I see."

"Now do you want the poem?" Bragi asked and Sigyn nodded. Bragi sat back and began to read about the land of the light elves, and the meeting between Odin and the king at the time. His voice was soothing and sweet, and soon Sigyn fell to sleep dreaming of warm sun and flowers. Yet she couldn't totally sleep well the rest of the night, for in every dream she had her memories were invaded by Loki's smirking face and bright green mischievous eyes.

_What does he want with me?_ she wondered, _and why do I keep thinking of him_.


	8. Chapter 8: A Visit

**A/N: Yay for reviews! I hope that people are enjoying this as much as I am enjoying creating it. **

**Copyright: All Asgard and its members are owned by Marvel and the adopters of the characters respectively. **

It wasn't even two days later that Loki found himself wandering across the bridge to Breidablik after sneaking out of his room. When they had returned on the day of the ceremony the trio had found themselves called into the court room before the All-Father and All-Mother. Fandrel and Balder were already there, bowing to Odin quietly, and, much to Loki's disgust, so was Theoric. The accolade was looking proper, as he'd taken the time to change out of his dirtied tunic and into his uniform. Loki looked to the two that were already prostrated and Balder shook his head, a warning of what was to come.

The trio bowed taking their place and Thor asked, "You requested our presence Father?"

"I did," Odin spoke with an authoritative tone, one Loki knew all too well as the one that was taken when he was about to be punished. He glanced at Theoric, who had his head bowed, and was kneeling like the others, but Loki was sure a small smile crept on his face. What had he done?

"May I ask why?" Thor smiled curiously, and Loki could hear Fandrel muttering something, then'oof' when Balder nailed him in the gut to silence him. Frigga glanced at the boy but Odin kept his one eye on his son.

"It has come to my attention that your actions, along with your brother's," he gave Loki a stern glance that kept a smirk off his face, "cause not only the chaos in the guest hall, but also that of the breaking of the wrist of Lady Freya's daughter. Do you deny this?"

There was a chill to Odin's voice that Loki hated and cast a deadly stare at Theoric who dared not to move. When Thor didn't respond immediately Odin rose and slammed the Gungnir down.

"Do you deny this?" He asked again angrily and Thor lowered his head.

"I…I do not Father, but allow us to explain…"

"I've had enough explaining from young Theoric," Odin motioned to the Hawk and Loki's eyes became slits. He was a dead man for this. The others shot him looks of distain as well, and then lowered their heads as Odin walked down to them. "He has told me of the accident, and while he has no proof, it will be looked into."

He stopped before Loki and the boy raised his head as Odin spoke to him, "And, should the investigation yield that this was you're doing, my son, you will be punished for it. Do you understand?"

Loki gave a short nod, and Odin dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Thor and Loki were to be confined to their rooms, the palace grounds, and were to have someone watch them at all times. They were not allowed to see their friends, which annoyed Thor more than it annoyed Loki. However after a day or so of being cooped up Loki was getting itchy for fun, and the longer he waited the more he wanted to go and play with the new toy he had found.

_I wonder if her wrist is healing_, Loki thought as he looked out his window to the court yard. He had been reading a book, tossed it to his bed, and paced back and forth. A thoughtful pout played on his lip. _It would be a shame if only Sif got to see her, and it would be rude if the royal family did not at least extend some sort of apology. And given I'm far more diplomatic then my brother…Yes this should be amusing._

He strolled to the window at a fast pace and imagined himself with long black wings, flying high in the air, into the sky and out of captivity. The guard didn't see the small black magpie fly from the room as Loki transformed. He was getting better at animals, they were far simpler then people, less features to worry about, and most looked the same so there was no special marks to remember. He soared past Thor's window and laughed to himself seeing his older brother looking bored and sulking. Even though he had been punished as well, it was nice to see Thor dealing with the same lot for once.

Once he was over the gates Loki landed on a pole and waited a hair's breath before flying down and transforming back before he landed. The streets were busy now with sellers, and, as a cart with cloaks passed him, he slipped one off and wrapped it around himself before disappearing into the multitude of shoppers. Getting to the garden wasn't very hard, the bridge was hardly crowded as it was early and most people were in the town square buying food and supplies at the market. He strolled up to the house, but ducked around a taller statue that decorated the entrance as Idunn walked out from the door of the main house. The young woman turned behind her to shut the door and called back in to someone Loki couldn't see.

"No wandering around the garden. Stay indoors and don't let anyone in till I get back."

"I won't Idunn," Loki heard Sigyn say and Idunn smiled. "It's not like I could do much right now any way."

"I'll be back by late noon, we can have lunch then." Idunn told her and shut the door, she checked her basket and walked right past Loki, down the main path, and vanished into the bevy of people that were on the main street. Loki took the chance and hurried over to the wall that encircled the garden. It wasn't very tall, but not something one could just easily hopped over. He looked around and magicked a bench to his side, and used it to get leverage to get over the stone top. Landing in a pumpkin patch he muttered about ruining his boots, scrapped the mud off and proceeded to sneak around the side of the house.

Peeking through a window he saw one of the servants talking to Sigyn and used a spell to raise the window a tad to listen to them talk.

"Now Lady Sigyn, Lady Idunn wants you to rest. You shouldn't stay long out of your room. Don't want to undo all the work that Mistress Eri completed on your wrist." The old woman told her as Sigyn tried to write with her left hand. She looked frustrated and set the quill down, then got up as the woman shooed her upstairs.

"If you need anything just call for me, alright dear," Sigyn gave a polite nod and headed out of the kitchen. Loki followed her outside from one window to the next, trying to see where she was staying. He observed Sigyn as she went up the stairs and he teleported into a tree to watch until he saw her go to the top floor and smirked, then teleported back down to the ground. Here he went back to the window by the kitchen and transformed into a snake to slip inside. Staying by the edge of the wall, he followed it till he made it to the door of the kitchen, then changed back and slipped out.

"Woman's as blind as a bat," he muttered and grabbed hold of a pitcher of ice water that was left out in the hall. Loki quirked his lips, picked it up, and proceeded to climb the stairs quiet as a mouse. He made his way up to the landing on the third floor and crept to the door, then knocked, and mimicked the old woman's voice, "Lady Sigyn, I brought you some water."

"I don't want any," he heard her say in a muffled voice, and scowled some. Clearing his throat he tried again.

"By my lady, I do think Lady Idunn would want you to keep hydrated. And it's good for a growing girl like yourself; it'll keep your skin flawless."

Loki heard the shifting of a mattress and the sound of footsteps coming to the door. Sigyn threw it open and she stared at him with disbelief as Loki smiled at her in his funny way, holding up the tray of water.

"Water for you Miss?" He asked as she babbled, once she could find her voice.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in here? Why are you here?" He regarded her mischievously, yes she was a fun toy indeed.

"May I come in? I don't think you want your maid down there to catch me out here, do you."

"It would be worse if you were caught in here," she was saying when he breezed past her without giving her the chance to say no and smirked over his shoulder at her, his green eyes playful.

"Well then pray to the All-Mother that I'm not caught in here."

Sigyn shut the door as Loki set down the tray on the table and poured her a glass of water. He offered it and she shook her head, "Well more for me then, I'm thirsty."

"You haven't answered me, why are you here? How did you get in here, and what are you doing here," Sigyn repeated and Loki chuckled at her as he regard the glass he held.

"And I'm afraid I won't be answering you," he smirked and she growled lightly at him.

He downed the water in a gulp, or two, and Sigyn put her hand on her hip, narrowing her brow at him, lips pursed. Loki smiled at her and took a seat. She looked cute when she was mad; he liked the way her blue eyes shown with emotions, not unlike when the girls teased her. When there was no spark to her eyes, no emotions, she seemed so dull and lost; it sickened him to his core to see something as wonderful as this new toy being so unable to fully enjoy herself.

"You have a nice room," he said waving his hand around regarding the room. A wardrobe sat against one wall on the far left side, beside that a large book case filled with scrolls and various books of stories and poems, Loki assumed that these were more of Bragi's collection. His eyes wandered and took in a writing desk in a corner, the table, a set of lamps for light in the evening and a large fireplace opposite the wardrobe, now without fire. The bed was in the center against the wall near the door, and decorative throw rugs littered the floor. The most impressive thing was the large set of window that looked out at the palace, he wondered if it was a straight shot from there to her window, and a few devious thoughts crossed his mind.

"Yes it is, now get out." Sigyn told him directly and Loki laughed.

"But I just got her, besides; I broke out of jail just to see you."

Sigyn eyed him curiously at this, "Broke out of jail?"

"Well, jail to me, to others, just being grounded for the time," He said motioning to the chair across from him, and she instead sat on her bed. He smirked at her, and relaxed with his legs sticking out. "So I escaped."

"You were grounded? Why?" Sigyn pulled up her knees and he saw her tuck her feet behind her skirt. Loki leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"For being me, for allowing some chaos into a party," He waved his hand letting some blue magic float in the air as he played with it. Sigyn watched the enchantment and he noticed her viewing it as he spoke. "They were throwing a party for some of the guests that could not attend the ceremony. Thor and I were supposed to attend that event, act like good little boys, and make allies with the family of the other gods that were there. But we really weren't interested, so I caused _a little_ distraction and because of that we got in trouble. Not to mention your friend mentioned your wrist."

"Theoric mentioned the wrist?" Sigyn said quietly and reached for her slinged arm. "But why?"

"I'm not sure, perhaps because I did not let him pass," He shrugged as her face fell. "More than likely to get me in trouble, it's been like that for a long time with us."

"Why?" She gazed at him puzzled and Loki gave her a half smile.

"When he was a squire he was tasked with finding Thor and I in the palace. We were playing a game, you see, and well, he fell into a small trap I laid. Nothing terrible, just a floor that became waxed… suddenly… and very slick, and he fell before one of his comrades who laughed at him. I suppose after that he just didn't like me."

"Theoric's never been one for humor like that," she told him, looking down, upset at this revelation, "But I don't think he would just tell to get you in trouble, that's not like him."

"People aren't always as we know them," Loki was suddenly beside her and she jumped as he put his arm around her hugging her to him.

"Wh..what are you doing?" She whispered flushing at the intimate contact. Loki gave her a charming smile.

"Only comforting you Lady Sigyn, you seemed a bit shocked by this bit of information."

"You might be lying," she said pointedly and Loki pulled the magic closer allowing her to touch it.

"I might be," he told her, and looked at her as she started to draw with the smoky substance. The two sat there in silence for a long time as Sigyn moved the smoke around making images of buildings and trees. He watched her as she finished and regarded it asking. "What is it?"

"It is how I imagined Nidavellir looking," she explained softly and he examined her work. The image she had drawn in the smoke confused him. He'd been to Nidavellir with his father a few times when he was younger, and it looked nothing like this. He recalled dark gray mountains that held no bright fields as she created, and certainly there were no trees there. The dwarves lived under ground in caverns, so he had to wonder why she made it look like that.

"But Nidavellir is called the 'dark fields', it's a rather bleak place. Why are you making it look like that?"

Sigyn exhaled as she wiped the image away, "My father would tell me tales of the place. The way he made it sound, to me, it felt like a place that had once been beautiful, but something robbed it of that beauty over time. So I drew it as it may have been a long time ago."

Loki tilted his head faintly and, after hesitating a moment, joined in creating images from his mind. His fingers moved slowly, creating mountains of ice, plains with snow that stretched for miles, frozen lakes and a castle with winds whipping the snow off the battalions at the top. Sigyn watched the image appear and gazed at it confused. When Loki stopped he put his hand down, there was no smile or joy to his face and he let out a deep sigh from his nose.

"Where is that?" Sigyn whispered a bit frightened by the place, and Loki was about to wipe it clean, when she grabbed his wrist and asked again, "Where is it?"

"Jotunheim, the world of the Frost Giants," he told her in a soft, almost frightened, voice. Sigyn stared at him inquisitively and asked, hesitantly.

"How do you know what it looks like? You've been there?"

Loki shook his head and looked down at her hand, still wresting on his wrist. He glanced at her and her blue eyes locked with his, an expression of sympathy passed over them. He couldn't quiet place it, but it was nice to have someone actually give a damn about how he felt. His mother did, Thor at times did, his Father hardly ever, but this was a bit different. The attention was from someone who wasn't his own family, who didn't see him as just being a mischief maker, made him feel, rather happy. He looked at the image he drew and closed his eyes talking softly. Loki had not even told his mother about the dreams he'd been having. It had started the day that Angabroda had sent the damn package. True he had burned it, but there had been a crystal in there, and stupidly he touched it. It had been since then that he was dreaming of this nightmare world, where snow and ice grew. Monster of blue, giants that stood taller than trees, were hunting him, tracking him down and he could see a woman, not as tall as the other giants, running away carrying something. He couldn't see what it was, but the woman was captured and she was screaming as the package was picked up by a taller, stoic looking, giant, and then all he saw was blood staining the snow.

"Loki?" Sigyn's voice caught him off guard and he jumped some feeling her hand tighten around his wrist. He'd stopped talking and it had seemed to her that he had been in a trance.

"I must have dazed off," he said and reached up to his face, his cheek was wet and she looked at him expectantly. Shaking it off, he erased the image.

"Bad dreams, that's all. I used to hear tales of the Jotunn, and one of my family's frequent guests comes from that region." He covered his sudden emotions in a clever smile. "Nothing to worry about Sigyn, besides I have a question for you, what would you say to a trip to the palace with me?"

Sigyn looked at him oddly, "I can't."

"You can't?" His face fell. "What do you mean you can't?"

Sigyn repeated herself slowly, "I can't leave the house. Idunn's orders, and in fact I shouldn't even be speaking to you."

"Really? I must have made a very interesting impression on Lady Idunn then," he smirked and she moved back from him as he crossed his legs and arms. "Well I'll just have to kidnap you then."

"No, Prince Loki, no need of that," she said simply, though an amused sparkle lit her eyes. Loki got up and went over to the window and Sigyn followed to look out. She saw him gaze at the palace. "You can see your home from here."

"Yes, so can you." He grinned at her and she ignored that. Loki kept staring at her as she watched the sun play off the roofs of the buildings. His hand reached down for her free one and barely touched her fingers, when he pulled back. What was he doing? She was his toy, something to play with. _But shouldn't toys be treated with care as not to break them?_

"Sigyn," he said in the same soft tone as earlier and she regarded him. Loki looked at her hand again and she let him take it, feeling the weight in his. "I wish to apologize."

"For barging in here?" she inquired and his lips quirked some. "Well that's kind of you, my Prince."

"Well there is that, but, no," he led her back to the bed and sat her down, then looked at her gently. "I…I wasn't to apologize for you getting hurt the other day."

Sigyn shook her head at him waving it off. "That wasn't your fault. I should have told Theoric to let the others lift me."

Loki looked away, _why is she was making this so hard? Just get it over with; she's kind enough to understand._

"That's not completely true," he said and stood up. Sigyn followed him with her eyes as he put his hands behind his back.

"My Prince…?" she inquired and he gave a short bow with his head to her.

"Theoric wasn't lying when he said I conjured a bug on him." Her brow raised some as he continued followed by her jaw dropping. "When I heard him make comments about me being evil and thinking that I was going to do something to you, I…I just couldn't stand for that. So I created a beetle to crawl on his leg. I didn't think that he would become that frightened and lose his balance, nor did I ever think that he would drop you like he did. So I want to apologize for that and…."

"No," she said shaking her head standing up, her fist balled now as she pace by her bed. "No…this is…this is not happening. You…you didn't…You didn't think he would drop me? What did you think was going to happen, Loki? That he would just let it crawl up his body?"

"Well no," he moved back as her eyes went wide then narrowed, "I just expected him to get scared and scream."

"And then I would have fallen anyway. Do you have any comprehension of what you were doing? I was balancing on his shoulders, on my tip toes! I could have broken my neck!"

"I…I realize that now, Sigyn and I do apologize for it," he said in haste, though his temper was growing. This wasn't going the way he planned. She glared at him as she went over to the writing desk trying to put distance between them. Loki moved to follow and she shouted at him.

"Stay away! Don't you dare come any closer, you…you devious jerk!"

"Sigyn, he deserved what he got! You heard what he said, you even told him to stop and he didn't." Loki tried to persuade her and she raised her hand to silence him.

"It's not alright Loki! You had no right to do that! It wasn't just a trick on him; it was a trick on me too!" Sigyn yelled and threw up her good hand, "Oh I am so stupid. Idunn's right about you, you are a liar and a trickster! Here I was trying to figure you out, but now I see this whole thing. You coming here…I'm your toy aren't I? That's why you came here to play with me."

"Yes but…" he couldn't get the next word out as he had to duck a flying bottle of ink that smashed upon the wall behind him, spattering ink everywhere.

"Get out! Get Out! GET OUT!" she screamed and threw a small vase at him which he caught much to her surprise. Loki set the vase on the bed and stalked over to her as Sigyn turned away from him and buried her head in the corner of the wall so as not to look at him, trying to keep him from seeing her cry. "Just go…I don't want to see you or hear from you."

His hands went on her shoulders and she wanted to recoil from the touch, but his voice sounded like it was going to break as he spoke in hushed tones. "Sigyn, you must believe me. My tricks…my trick on Theoric, was only meant to scare him. I never intended to harm you. I swear to you Sigyn, give you my word as a Prince of Asgard, my tricks, my plans, no matter what I do. I will not allow them to hurt you again. I promise you Sigyn."

"Just please leave Prince Loki," she managed to say trying to keep her sobs from dwarfing her words. He didn't move for a long moment then she felt the air shift and looked behind her to see the room empty once more. Sigyn sniffled and ran to her bed to throw herself upon it sobbing into her pillow. Outside Loki in bird form watched and turned to fly away. He was determined to make it up to her, his new toy; he would repair her in some way and was determined to have her stay with him.


	9. Chapter 9: Recovery

**A/N: Thank you to all the reviews, it's whats keeping me going as I write this story. I'm glad you're all enjoying it. **

_**Copyright: Loki, Sigyn, and all other members of the Marvel Norse Pantheon are owned by Marvel Comics, and were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Leiber, as well as Roy Thomas and John Buscema.**_

It was some time later that Sigyn road with Bragi to the palace to see Eir. She'd insisted on changing over the stones to make sure that the healing magicks were strong for mending all sections of the bone. Sigyn held onto the saddle as they rode carefully through the city, and seemed to gaze around at the many buildings and shops that they passed. In truth her mind wasn't even on sightseeing, rather it was a nagging feeling that she had done something terrible to someone who really had a hard time comprehending his actions.

Sigyn had not told Idunn or Bragi about Loki's visit or his subsequent confession on his part in her fall. But that did not change the fact that she felt like a fool for being toyed with. It was Bragi who noticed her pensive nature in the evenings that passed and how she kept staring at the palace.

"Thinking of something, or is it _someone_?" he asked her the day before they were to travel, and she had replied with a question instead of an answer.

"How do you forgive someone?"

"That is a rather hard question, Sigyn," he sat down on the bed with her. "Why do you ask that?"

Sigyn looked to him and then back at the palace in the distance. "Brother, what if…what if Idunn did something terrible, something that wound up hurting someone, but apologized for it saying that she didn't mean to hurt the person. Would you forgive her?"

Bragi took a deep breath and hummed some as he looked at the sky, "Would I forgive her. Yes, I think I would."

"Why?" she asked seriously.

"She's my wife; oh I would still be mad at her, but I would try to forgive her for what she did. Because I love her," he explained and then said, "but this isn't between a husband and wife, is it."

Sigyn shook her head, "I was apologized to, but I don't know if the person apologizing was being truthful in what he said."

Bragi gave a slow understanding nod and stroked his chin, "I see. Well the first thing I would wonder is if it is in the nature of the person to give apologies so willingly. Then, based on what I know about the person, I would determine if they were being sincere about what they said. If I felt they were not, I would not accept the apology; but, if it seemed that they were being honest about what they said, and that they were truly sorry, I may give them a second chance. Provided, of course, that they didn't do it again."

"What if they gave you a pledge that they wouldn't," she looked at him and he let out a low whistle.

"That seems serious to me," Bragi said and looked at her inquisitively, "May I ask who the person is?"

"No, I can't say," she said and looked at her hands, "It would only get them in trouble."

"Humm, well," he shifted some and smiled at her. "If I were you, I would seek out this person as soon as I could, and find out the nature of the apology. It's probably the only way to deal with it."

Sigyn thought about Bragi's words as they rode through the gates and past the road to the palace, down a small incline and through a small covered underpass. Bragi slowed the horse when they got to a building set off to the far side of the main courtyard. It was as impressive as the others, with a fountain in the center, and handmaids waited off to the side for them. Two came over to help Bragi down and three came over bowing to him. All the maids were dressed in simple off white sheet dresses, hats that had long trains that hung down their backs, and veils to cover their lips. Sigyn gave Bragi a look as he carefully pulled her off the horse. The lead girl, who stood the first and was shorter than the other, two regarded her kindly.

"Welcome Lady Sigyn and Lord Bragi, I am Sister Bodil. If you are wondering about our clothing it is to keep the main temple sterile. We deal with many wounded men, and to keep them from getting sick while we heal them we cover our faces." She motioned to the tallest of them who came over and held her arms out to Bragi as Bodil said gently, "This is Sister Liv, she is one of Mother Eir's best assistants, and she's going to be watching over Lady Sigyn while she is here."

Bragi was hesitant for a moment wondering how a thin girl could carry his sister, but relented at the gentle coaxing and assuring looks from Sister Bodil. Sigyn wrapped her arms around the girl and she gave her a strange look as the girl's lips twitched below her veil. Her eyes seemed to have a hazel aspect to them, but rather than brown and blue, there was a hint of green. Sister Liv hefted her some gently situating Sigyn in her arms as Sister Bodil, and her second called Sister Dagny, escorted Sister Bragi before them.

"You know I can walk," Sigyn told the girl as they headed into the building following after the others. "I just broke my wrist."

The girl tittered some and Sigyn sniffed. There was something peculiar about this maiden and she couldn't place her finger on it. Looking around Sigyn noticed that the halls of Eir's temple were made of perfectly polished marble, from the floor to the very ceiling there was no sight of any wood, metal, and limited amounts of glass.

"Don't you find it odd that this place is covered in marble?" Sigyn asked the girl and Liv just smiled as if not understanding a word she said. Sigyn exhaled through her teeth as she wondered if the girl could even understand her. "Well, where are you from, Sister Liv?"

"Oh, I'm from…_around_," the girl said in a weird halting accent with a squeaky voice. Sigyn cringed at the pitch and considered the fact that maybe she didn't speak much because of the voice.

"A…Around," Sigyn inquired trying to be polite, though not being sure were to take the conversation. Sister Liv seemed to notice the reaction to her voice because she spoke in a slightly lower tone of voice, which confused Sigyn more.

"Here and there, I've been around to different places," Sister Liv said and there was a twinkle to the tall girl's eyes. "Do you not like the sound of my voice Lady Sigyn?"

"No it's fine it's just…" Sigyn left off her thought when she actually looked around and saw that the others were nowhere in sight. Sister Liv tightened her grip and Sigyn felt rather nervous suddenly. "Where are Bragi and Sister Bodil?"

"Hummm, somewhere off down the main hall," Sister Liv said happily, as she continued to carry Sigyn farther down a passage that Sigyn was sure wasn't the right direction. She glared at Liv who just asked, "Is there something wrong, Lady Sigyn?"

"Yes there most certainly is," Sigyn tried to slip out of her grasp but Liv was stronger than she looked and held on tight. "Put me down this instant."

"Now, now, I can't do that," Sister Liv told her as she broke into a run laughing and Sigyn yelped clinging on to her.

"Are you trying to kill me? Put me down now!"

"I'm afraid I can't if we're moving at this speed," Liv smirked and Sigyn started to panic. They were flying again, or in this case possible teleporting. But how was it possible unless Sister Liv was a powerful magic user? Her nails dug in just below the girl's neck, but Liv didn't even flinch.

"What in hell's name are you doing?" Sigyn demanded, then looked ahead to see a wall coming up. "No…no…no…no…no…no…NO!" –she screamed covering her head, and felt the air shift, suddenly the momentum stopped. Daring to look up and around Sigyn saw they were in a room that had a pool with many stained windows. The air was cool and the marble was a glossy gray color. But the light from the windows bouncing off the floor, pool, and walls gave it a warm feel.

"Giving you a bit of a scare," laughed Liv in her lower voice and Sigyn tried to get out of her arms. The girl pouted, "Don't like the sound of my voice?"

"No I do not, now unhand me you unclothed girl," Sigyn yelled but Sister Liv didn't comply and held her over a pool. "D…Don't you dare."

"Then say you like my voice," Liv said to her and Sigyn shook her head, Liv shrugged and lowered it to a deeper sound, "How about now?"

"I'll scream for Bragi if you don't let me down."

"He won't hear you at this distance my dear," Sister Liv sniggered and her eyes sparkled with delight. Sigyn had that familiar feeling that she was the butt of some joke, but didn't know what to do about it, or how to get out of it. "So you still don't like my voice."

"I hate you're voice, it's horrible, and so are you." Sigyn hissed and Liv nearly dropped her only to pull her up at the last second as Sigyn clung to her.

"Why Lady Sigyn, I do believe you're becoming more intimate with me." Liv laughed as Sigyn shook her head. She didn't want to even look at the horrible girl, but had no choice but to when Siter Liv whispered in her ear, in a very familiar tone of voice, "How about now Lady Sigyn?"

Sigyn slowly raised her head and stared at the bright green eyes that flashed behind the veil.

"Prince Loki?" she questioned and he smirked.

"At your service Lady Sigyn," Loki was barely able to say before Sigyn shoved hard separating them. He fell back hitting his bottom, and she landed with a splash in the pool. Sigyn gasped seeing her right arm in the water and let out a curse, only to pull it up and see a glowing white light around the arm. She was soaked but the arm wasn't and she looked at Loki who had rolled over and was holding out his hand casting a spell at the arm, he looked relieved.

Getting up he walked over and offered her a hand, Sigyn refused and he sighed, "You can't sit there in the water all day, and you know you can't get up with that bad wrist of yours."

She scowled at him, and took his hand, then gave a hard yank pulling him in with her. Loki snorted at her and spat, "Now that was just mean."

"It was a mean trick of you too." She got up after he stood and this time let him pull her up and help her out. He smirked at her chuckling.

"It wasn't a trick, but it is nice to see that your humor is back," Loki told her and magick-away the water leaving them both dry. Sigyn frowned and turned to leave, Loki following at her heels and tapping the door before she could get out. Sigyn pulled at it, and found it was jammed; she looked up at him with a stern face.

"Open the door, Prince Loki."

A quirky smile slipped on his lips as he walked away, "Hummm, no."

"No? I have an appointment with Eir; she will be looking for me as will Bragi. If you can't remember let me refresh your memory, he will be furious."

"I know, not my worry," Loki took a seat and looked at her. "So am I forgiven?"

"No…I…don't know honestly," Sigyn looked at him, crossing her arms. She watched as he took off the veil and cap, shaking out his hair and making it become shorter. Loki glimpsed her confused expression and smirked some.

"Question," he asked leaning back as if they were in his private chamber and not in what Sigyn assumed was a recovery room. She shifted her weight slightly, if he wasn't going to open the door then she figured they may as well talk until Bragi or Eir would arrive. Loki regarded her with raised eyebrows, "Well?"

"Why are you dressed like a girl?"

He let out a loud cackle and covered his mouth trying to compose himself. Sigyn frowned and snapped.

"If you're going to laugh at my questions, then we can just sit in silence."

"Nay, good Sigyn, I don't really like silence much, it bothers me," he got up and considered her. Loki walked around her as he spoke, "It's called transformation. A spell, of sorts, that allows me to appear as another person, or whatever I so choose to appear as." As Sigyn watched he slowly shifted his form into a taller version of her, although without various features that were personal to her own body. Sigyn bit her lip trying not to look surprised as he changed back, "Although as you can see I still need work on becoming a human."

Sigyn gave a nod and asked quietly, "Is that how you scared off the girls that day?"

Loki gave a nod, a smug smile lingered on his lips as he described to her the beast he had been. Sigyn shook her head and pushed back a strand of hair as he gazed at her. "So where is the real Sister Liv then?"

"If you're wondering if she is well, yes she is fine," he stated pointedly, though a smile twitched on his lips as he waved his hand. "She's locked in a room dreaming happily of pumpkin cakes with cream."

Sigyn had a terrible thought, "What did you do to her?"

Loki crossed his arms and gave her a lidded look of annoyance, "Sister Liv seems to like chocolates, so I invited her to a guest room this afternoon and offered her some chocolate laced with a sleeping potion."

"Loki…" she stared to say but tried to stifle a laugh of her own. It seemed both horrible and silly at the same moment. Sigyn took on a more stoic appearance when she saw Loki smirking at her. "That wasn't fair of you to do that to her. She could get into trouble for this. How did you even know I was coming here and who would be watching me?"

Loki looked pleased by this question and moved closer to her, "Well as it stands, servants tend to hear details, and, if you know how to charm them they sometimes tell you important information. Such as the fact that Lady Eir was getting a young woman over her temple to replace her healing stones, and that the maid to take care of her was Liv."

He picked up her chin, "And before you say anything, I'm taking a high risk doing this to see you Lady Sigyn, though I must admit this is the most fun I've had in a while."

She batted aside his hand and stalked past him to try to find another way out as he followed her around the room talking. "You see the Sisters here are, ah, what's the word, hummm, unadulterated as it were. And well, a man being in their halls, would be such a horrible thing. However you can help save me from a terrible fate," he cut in front of her and smirked, "if you're willing to forgive me."

Sigyn stamped her foot and huffed as she turned away from him. Loki wrapped his arms around her, once more making her feel very aware of how close he was to her, and whispered in her ear. "All you need to do is give me the word of agreement, and I will release you from the room."

She swallowed and closed her eyes whispering heatedly, "How do I know you were being sincere that day? How do I know you weren't just using it as a means to play with me? How can I even trust your word?"

"You can't know, you're just going to have to trust me and I know that thought terrifies you because I lie all the time," Loki's voice dropped to her as his lips nearly kissed her ear, "because, if I had really wanted to toy with you Sigyn, I could have at any time. If I had wanted to play with you, and use you, I would have that day. I could have easily seduced you even, bent you to my will. I was alone in your room with you, and who would have believe you? Bragi, Idunn, but how would you have proved it, and given your little incident in the garden…" Sigyn gave a start and gripped her skirt as he finished softly, "I could have used all that, but I didn't. Now it's up to you to decide if I was sincere or not; keep in mind, I never apologize for what I do, so think of this…the only person I have ever seriously said I was sorry to was my Mother, and now to you. "

He kissed her ear quickly letting her go, and Sigyn ran forward turning fast rubbing the spot, cheeks crimson. Loki gave her a smug expression as he waited for her to respond. Sigyn tried to catch her breath, _too close, he was too close. _

_ What does he want me to say after that? What was that anyway?_ She supposed trying to gather her thoughts and sat down. He hovered near her not saying a word, and the silence grew thicker as she considered her options. She could lie to him, bluff that she was going to tell the others of his violation of her space, _but that won't work because he'll twist it to make it sound like I agreed to it. And I can't tell Idunn about the tree because then I'd get into trouble for it, and I don't want to be jailed and sent to the lowest cavern in Asgard. _

Sigyn looked at Loki who was now admiring the ceiling as if he was in some sort of art gallery. She hated him but at the same time, she was drawn to the strange son of Odin. It wasn't that she enjoyed his tricks, but rather it was the moments when he showed attachment to her, randomly. Why was he so interested in her? She didn't know, and it was a puzzle she wanted to solve. Sighing she went over in her head everything Loki had said and considered Bragi's comments to her on the idea of forgiveness. Mumbling into her lap she said, "I believe you."

Loki turned around and looked at her, cupping his ear, "I…I'm sorry what…what did you say?"

Sigyn got up and looked at him neutrally, "I said, I believe you were sincere in what you said. That you didn't mean to hurt me, and that it was a prank gone too far. But I don't completely believe you won't hurt me."

Loki's superior smile fell at this and he grabbed her arm leading her to the door and banged on it. It wasn't a grab that hurt, but it was firm and she stubbornly listened to the dense ringing sound.

"Do you hear that, Lady Sigyn? That is the sound of forged Uru metal, the hammer my Father had forged for my brother was made from this. It is one of the strongest metals in all of Asgard," he told her glaring. "Now, consider this, we were teleporting and running at the same time, that's going twice as fast as when Thor was running with you. If I really wanted to hurt you with a trick I would have teleported and let you hit this door, but I didn't. I phased you through with me!"

He let go of her arm and stared down at her, "So before you say you don't believe I have any intention of hurting you, think about the fact that if I wanted to I could teleport a creature into this room that could tear you limb from limb."

Sigyn glared at him and shot back, "Then do it. Bring something in here to attack me Loki. You want to hurt me, well, fine; Do it. Show me your great magic!"

He was mad now, Sigyn could see it in his eyes as they flashed green and he raised his hands and a swirling storm of black and green magic materialized in the room. Loki didn't dare look at her for a long moment until he had it under control and slowly his eyes met hers.

"Here now see, see before your eyes, you little fool, what I can do with my magic. I've been trying to act nice, trying to behave for you, but you just throw it back in my face well then…" He started to move his hand and threw some of the spell into the water making it boil and explode sending a shower of hot steaming water all over the floor. "How do you like me now Lady Sigyn, God of mischief, Prince of Lies. Do you now understand how strong I am with this, do you not see what I can do…"

Sigyn walked towards him, her head held high and he watched stunned as she pushed past the winds and the hot water that was still steaming under her feet. She stood before him and leaned on her tip toes to whisper in his ear. "I trust you Loki, I never doubted you were strong, but I need to know when you told me you were sorry and that you wouldn't hurt me that you meant it. How can I forgive someone who would lie to me just so that he could get me to be friends with him?"

Sigyn felt the energy in the air change as the winds from the strange magic storm died down and Loki closed his eyes breathing slowly as he lowered his hands pulling the magic back into him. His hands were around her suddenly in a tight embrace and Sigyn heard him say to her gently, "Lady Sigyn, from the bottom of my heart, I mean every word I say to you here and now. I am sorry for harming you and I promise you that I will never do anything like that again. Do you accept my apology?"

"I do Loki Odinson," Sigyn said softly as she stroked his hair and he held her for what seemed like a very long time. When he let her go Loki didn't look at her for a while, and instead walked to the door and tapped it again, releasing the spell he had been using. Sigyn walked over and pulled at the door, pleased that it was now open. She went through, paused and then looked back at Loki. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"But I already received what I came here for," he pointed out and Sigyn gave him a lidded expresssion. Loki cocked his head curiously as she remarked.

"Yes but recall that you're Sister Liv, and I don't know where to go from here as you brought us to this hall in the first place."

Loki had cleaned up, _some_, of his mess by putting most of the water back in the pool and smirked. "I know who I am; although what's to stop me from teleporting out of here, Lady Sigyn."

"I could tell on you," she said directly and he chuckled. "What, I could."

"And do you honestly think that would work?"

Sigyn thought a moment then said, "Well then, think about this, you could get out of here and leave me to wander by myself. Or keep up appearances and continue to pester me. It is your call, my Prince."

Loki drew up his lips into a twisted pout as if pondering the proposition. He put his hands out like a scale and noted, "On the one hand, I could leave and find my fun somewhere else, that's not around a bunch of devote and dull maids of a Goddess, of course that would mean ignoring the chance to play with you. On the other hand I could stay and play with you, since it's brought me such fun and delight these past few days, but I might get caught. Of course I could just lie and tell them that you insisted I come here as a means of a secret meeting."

The way he smirked at her gave her a chill, the term he used '_secret meeting_' made it sound far filthier then it actually was. Loki seemed to consider things for a moment and then went over to where he had first sat down, scooped up the hat and veil, and in an instance was once more Sister Liv, minus the false voice of course.

"Shall we go then my dear wounded child," he said in a sickly sweet manner that gave Sigyn a slightly nauseous feel. Getting out of the room was the easy part, making sure Loki didn't scoop her up again was the trick. He kept insisting that, in order to keep things as they were, he needed to carry her, but Sigyn continued to deny him any possible means of playing a prank on her. She knew once he had a grip on her he wouldn't set her down again for a long while and she still didn't trust him wholly.

"I don't suppose, Sister, that you know how to get back to the main hall?" she asked him and the young Prince shrugged, smirking under the veil. Sigyn let out an exasperated sigh and stalked forward, upping her pace while he gladly followed along not reacting to her annoyance. If he knew where to go he wasn't going to let on, and so was turning even the simple task of getting back to the main hall into a game. It annoyed her, and yet, Sigyn found it somewhat relaxing to wander the halls and listen to the melodic soft sounds of the temple. From winds softly whistling through the decorative carvings in the marble, to the echoes of footstep from the Sisters, Sigyn thought to herself, _I could grow to like staying in a place like this._

They eventually came to a fork in the road and Sigyn turned to face him pointing, "Right or left?"

Loki shrugged, "We could go both ways."

"Fine then I'll go left," Sigyn said and started to walk, he followed her and she stopped. Placing her good hand on her hip she stared at him, "Why are you following me?"

"Because we're going left," he said casually and Sigyn pointed behind him. Loki followed her motion with his eyes but the smirk never left his face.

"No _I'm_ going left, _you're_ going right."

"Now why would I do that, I'm supposed to be watching you," Loki told her as he folded his hands behind his back.

"Because, I don't know if this is the right way to go," Sigyn told him honestly and he looked down the hall. She followed his view and asked, "Something bothering you, Sister?"

He pursed his lips and waved his hand, "I don't like the look of that hall, and I'm going to follow you."

Sigyn closed her eyes and sighed, "You're not going to give me a choice in this are you?"

"No I'm not," he walked past her and snapped his fingers getting her attention, "Come along young Sigyn, we don't have time to dally."

"You're the one making me dally!" she shouted after him running to catch up and doubling her pace to keep up with his longer steps. Loki slowed slightly to give her a chance to keep up with him. The two followed the twisting and turning hallways until they finally spotted another Sister. Loki immediately became Sister Liv once more, and bowed to the Sister who instructed them that they needed to go back. Loki scowled behind the girl's back and grabbed Sigyn before she could protest, teleporting them back to the hall they had just left. This time he dragged her along behind him, his face set in a scowl as he marched at a quick pace.

"Would you please not drag me?" Sigyn asked but Loki seemed to ignore her pleas as he just kept mumbling about idiotic set ups, and superfluous halls that weren't needed. When they did arrive at the right room, he looked ready to snap if anyone talked to him. Sigyn grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, which he responded to instinctively by squeezing back. "Wait out here I think it would be better for you."

"Actually this is where we shall part," he bowed to her and smiled slightly in a sneaky way. "I've spent longer then I thought in this place, and I maybe missed at the palace."

"Still grounded?" she asked and he nodded. Sigyn raised an eyebrow and he smirked as she said, "You could get into more trouble you know."

"I'm the Prince of Mischief Sigyn, trouble comes with the title," he disappeared in a flash leaving her standing there alone. Sigyn headed into the room, and was pleased to see Bragi and Eir still waiting for her. She screwed up her face and said quietly.

"I needed to use the facilities and seem to have lost Sister Liv." Eir regarded her curiously, but said nothing, and tended to her wrist.

The following weeks the same thing happened. Sigyn would come down to have her stones replaced only to find Sister Liv waiting there for her, smirking all the while. Sigyn was getting used to seeing him dressed like that, and Bragi felt confident enough to entrust Sigyn to the care of the Sister while he dealt with matters at the palace, telling them the time that he would return and that Sigyn had to be outside by the time he got back. Loki would take her at once to Eir and wait for her wrist to be fixed, saying nothing to the Goddess. Thankfully the real Sister Liv had not been much of a talker, and Sigyn said nothing to make Eir suspect of the deception by the Prince. When she asked him about where Liv was, Loki would always just give her a strangely amused grin and Sigyn would just let the question go, she had learned quickly that the prince was not one to reveal his secrets to anyone.

It was during a stroll in the small garden in the back that Loki seemed to randomly ask her about her father. This had startled Sigyn since outside of her family no one had really asked about him, save to ask about his art in crafting.

"Why do you want to know about him?" She inquired as he offered her a seat on a bench of silver. Sigyn sat as he took the seat beside her, crossing his legs and resting an arm behind her. This was another factor that she had gotten used to, his teasing her by making sure he kept as much contact with her as physically possible under the circumstances. She knew that he knew that she would get flustered by the attention and clearly he enjoyed the fact that her face would turn slightly red.

"Who exactly was he? Lari said your father was a dwarf, and from what you showed me with that image you made, he clearly had some connections to old tales of Nidavellir." Loki looked at her, "And Lady Freya would never let herself be with anyone that she didn't deem worthy, so he must have been someone rather special."

Sigyn leaned back, making sure to not touch his arm, at which Loki shot her a smug smile, as she crossed her arms, which was finally out of the sling. She contemplated telling him what she needed to and wanted to, at the same time she knew that her mother did not want a lot of information spread around about her father. Sigyn felt Loki's green eyes watching her with an intense look of interest and a sense that he was manipulating something around her to make her more receptive to his wishes to hear as much as he could.

"My father was a man called Iwaldi, he was a crafts man who was known for creating amazing pieces, not just armor or hilts for swords, or weapons, but jewelry, decorations for the palace, ornaments that Mother says hang to this day in the palace," Sigyn told him and Loki nodded, tapping his chin from behind the veil.

"I believe I heard of him, granted I'm not entirely sure as to where. I'll have to do some research," Sigyn gave a nod as he glanced over at her. "And so, he and your mother had you and your sisters?"

"Yes, although the others didn't really know what to make of him at times. He was a quiet man, tended to prefer being in his shop in the back of our garden then in the large main house." Sigyn informed him and cupped her hands in her lap. "He was fun to be around, charming really. He used to tell me all sorts of stories and show me…" she paused and Loki waited to see what she was going to add, but Sigyn held back and went on, "how he crafted pieces for requests from Mother and others in the city. He made so many that it was almost like magic."

"Wasn't it though," Loki murmured quietly and Sigyn saw a look on his face that made her worry she had said too much. Her Father had long ago warned not to mention the dwarf magic that he showed her since it was something that they guarded for their own protection and it was a means to an end at keeping the Asgardians from stealing their skills. Sigyn let out a quick whistle to distract him and Loki looked back to her. "He seemed very attentive; I sometimes wish my Father would be like that."

"I'm sorry," she said softly and Loki waved it off quickly.

"It's something I'm used to," a flash of annoyance filled his face, but it dissipated just as quickly and he smiled at her in his charming way. "That doesn't mean I like it, but we're not talking about my insane family, I want to know more about yours."

"What's more to say?" Sigyn asked and Loki chuckled some, knowing she was now hiding the most important part of the story.

"His disappearance," Sigyn scowled at him and Loki brushed her cheek, she turned from it as he said sweetly, "Come now, did you honestly think I wouldn't want to hear about that little factor?"

"Mother doesn't like me talking about it."

"Mother is not here," he pointed out and waved his hand around. "It's just you, me, and the birds, Lady Sigyn, and you can trust the birds to not tell on you."

"Can I trust you not to?" Sigyn asked him bluntly and Loki smirked, his eyes dancing.

"That depends on what you tell me."

Sigyn let out a long deep sigh, "You're not going to let the go or be easy for me, are you, my Prince?"

"Not in the least," Loki's smug smile beamed on his face as Sigyn rubbed her temple. She relented and spoke softly.

"My father vanished one day, I was the one that found his note," she told him and Loki gave her a genuine look of sympathy as she continued. "It was a short time after my youngest sister Snotra was born. I went out early in the morning to get his mug and fill it with water. That was my task when I went by him, to get him water so that he stayed cool by his forge."

Sigyn blinked hard at this and felt Loki's hand rub her back, she didn't pull back from the comfort. It was nice speaking about what had happened without being told to keep quiet about it and not cry. "When I got there the shop was quiet, it was always noisy with the sound of him hammering away at a metal. I should have known something was wrong because the chimneys had no smoke coming from their stacks, and I could see no light in the windows. So slowed and crept to the building, thinking maybe he had fallen to sleep in the night and that I could spook him. But when I got to the shop the door was open, and it was clear that no had been in there since the day before. The fire was cooled, the shop dark, and all his tools, metals, and instruments were gone."

"It was like he had never been there in the first place. The only thing left was a note that was addressed to my Mother. I took it to her, and she read it, already worried as he had not come in for the night. Then she broke down and started to sob, and I didn't know what to do. Your mother and her maids came to visit and took us to stay in Mother's home in the city for a while. The last time I saw my father he was completing the necklace that Idunn wears around her neck. He seemed fine, his normal jolly self, so why he left, I don't know. Mother won't tell me."

"It must have been rather difficult for you," Loki said softly and Sigyn gave a quick nod, but when she looked up at him her sadness was replaced with a look of determination.

"It was, but that's why I have to find him."

"Find him?" Loki inquired and sat up to face her listening. "What do you mean? As in travel to locate where he went to?"

"Aye," Sigyn said and looked at her hands. "I know he's out there, even if everyone thinks he's dead. When I'm able to study magic properly I'll find a way to head out and find him. I'll search all of the nine realms if I have to, but I will find him and the first thing I'll ask him is why. Why did he run away, and why did he never come back."

"Seems like you have a plan," Loki smirked and leaned back, chuckling. "Shame you're not old enough to act on it."

"Well right now I don't even know where to start," she admitted, "I don't have the research to find it. But one day soon I will, and then I'll start working and when the time is right I'm leaving Asgard to travel."

"You shouldn't go on your own you know," Loki told her sternly and Sigyn nodded. "There are dangerous creatures out there."

"There are dangerous creatures in Asgard too," she contented and Loki gave her a wide smile.

"Touché," he glanced at the sun and got up. "It seems, sadly, it is time for the Sister to depart and you to return home."

Loki bowed to Sigyn as she got up and curtsied to him, "Farewell till we meet next, Young Sigyn."

With that he vanished, Sigyn figuring he would see her again the following week. However this wasn't to be as when she arrived for her checkup Loki was not there. When she inquired with Sister Bodil why Sister Liv wasn't around, all Bodil said was.

"She mentioned something about dealing with chocolates; she's been confined to her room."

"I see,"Sigyn said disappointed and looked over to the palace which caught Dagny's attention who whispered softly.

"There was a messenger from the palace this morning, he said to tell you that the Prince cannot meet you at the time you two had appointed this afternoon because his father has summoned him and Prince Thor to a meeting, but that he would try to see you at another time as soon as he can."

_He makes it sound like we're courting_, Sigyn thought irritably as Bodil and Dagny led her inside. Sigyn stopped only for a moment to look at the palace and wonder if Loki was in any trouble, _just don't have done something that got you caught._


	10. Chapter 10: The Enchantress and War God

_**A/N: Enter the Enchantress, her sister and the God of War Tyr. By the way all events that will be happening in these next few chapters are based around some older marvel stories regarding the land of Hogan the Grim, the Warrior's Three, and even a certain hammer. Enjoy**_

_**Copyright: Loki, Sigyn, Thor, Sif, and all others are property of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby, Roy Thomason and John Buscame. **_

* * *

Loki hurried down the corridor from his room dressed in his formal attire. It was rare to see the young prince dressed in his green, black and gold uniform. So much so that when some of the handmaids saw him they whispered wondering if a new guest had come into the palace. Loki smirked at their reaction, he knew he looked good. The outfit had been tailor made to fit based on his Mother's orders. It was designed to bring out the best features in her son, specifically his green eyes and lean form. The long gold cape flowed behind him like a ray of sunlight as he moved past the young women, and had to chuckle when they finally realized who was passing, remarking about how mature he looked.

Loki felt rather pleased with himself, almost. His smirk fell when he saw Thor waiting for him at the end of the hall, also dressed in his finest. Just as Loki's uniform was meant to bring out his better features so was Thor's. The blue and silver uniform with gold trim certainly made his muscular figure appear far stronger and brought his blue eyes and blonde hair to the forefront of his smiling face. Loki hated it. Thor always showed him up in some way, fashion seemed to be no exception to this. His red cape shifted as he turned when Loki walked over to him.

"Well I see I wasn't the only one to get the invitation to the costume party," Loki smirked as Thor beamed clapping him on the shoulder, laughing.

"Aye, it seems we have guests of some importance," He smiled at his younger brother and remarked, "You look good Loki, as noble as a king."

"As do you," Loki returned the compliment and gave a small smile. "Shall we get this over with?"

"The sooner the better, I agree," Thor grinned as the two made their way down to the main hall where the other three was waiting, along with one new person, who's presence immediately induced a headache in Loki. The large, in both height and girth, red haired man rushed to them with a warm look on his face, embracing the brothers and lifting them up off their feet, Loki slightly higher than Thor.

"Thor! Loki!" He shouted happily, "It is good to see you both after such a long while."

Thor laughed merrily, "Hello Volstagg!"

"It's only been three months," Loki pointed out trying to breath at the tight hug he was getting. Volstagg let them down and chuckled.

"Still as light as a feather I see, Loki," the older man teased and Loki gave him a simpering smile. "We're going to need to work on that now that I'm back."

"Of course, excuse me," Loki moved over by the others, nodding to them in turn and asked Sif, "When did Volstagg get back?"

"Apparently early this morning, along with the man in the throne room right now talking to King Odin," Sif said as Volstagg and Thor joined them.

"Aye, and was it a trip let me tell you. It'll be nice to get some decent food in my gut," the older man chuckled. Loki rolled his eyes when Volstagg wasn't looking. Volstagg had been their trainer in their youth, and though he looked like a bumbling fool, he was as strong as an ox. In his prime he had been as great as some of the highest ranking Crimson Hawks, and had been friends with various nobles in his youth. As far back as Loki could recall he had always known Volstagg as the glutton warrior that stood before them. He was a bit cowardly in his older age, and was the last to rush in, but the first to shout victory. He was smart, but Loki had always figured that his mind rarely strayed from his next meal.

"So who's the guest?" Fandrel inquired excitedly as a guard came to usher them in. They immediately took formation, Thor and Loki in the lead followed by Sif and Balder, with Fandrel and Volstagg in the rear.

Upon entry Loki spied a trio of Aesir, standing before his parents thrones. Two women and one man, dressed in formal wear, whose appearances could not be more different. The man was as tall as Thor, or a bit taller, and dressed in a navy blue uniform with a short blue cape that hung over his shoulder. His black hair was clipped short save for a braid that went down his back, and strangely the tips of his hair were frosted bright snow white, clearly magicked there by some means. Beside the man stood a woman in a long green dress, with slits that exposed her legs, and black stockings covering them. Her wavy blonde hair was pulled back by a crown, and she seemed to have altered the gown so it showed most of her back. Next to the green girl was a young woman with the same sort of blonde hair, but she was dressed in a short white gown with fur trim and thigh high white boots. They were talking in low voices to Odin when the group approached them and the All-Father looked up from his discussion with the man.

Loki heard Fandrel let out a low whistle.

"Well, now that's the sort of guests that I like," and Sif stepped back on his foot, making him wince.

"Watch what you say Fandrel, she may hear you and her ego doesn't need to be anymore bloated."

"Thor Odinson, Loki Odinson, Lady Sif, Lord Balder, Fandrel, and Volstagg," Odin said as they bowed to him then rose to meet the trio that turned to face them.

The man with the braid noticed them first, smiled confidently, and hurried over to give them a warm greeting. He embraced Thor in a warm bear hug and then shook Loki's hand, gave a quick hug to Sif and embraced Balder, then shook hands with Fandrel saying, "My friends it's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of seeing your smiling faces."

"Aye it's been too long Tyr," Thor said clapping the older man's shoulder. "I see you haven't changed much from your trip, excluding your hair."

"Nor have you, Cousin, I was gifted with this look by the lovely ladies," chuckled Tyr as Balder quickly asked.

"Why are you back so soon? I thought you were part of the diplomatic mission."

"There's been a hic-up in our plans," the woman in green said and Tyr turned to face her.

"Hic-up is a slight thing to call it my dear," Tyr brought the two girls over. "Thor do you remember Lady Amora and her sister Loralei?"

"I should hope so, we were schooled together for a while," Thor chuckled and kissed both the girls hands. Amora glanced over at Sif with a smirk and the warrioress glared back. "Charming as ever, it is good to see you both once more."

"Pleasant as always Thor," Amora said and gave a sly smile to Sif who tensed up.

"As it is always a pleasure to see you Prince Thor," Loralei said sweetly and took Thor by the arm and Amora gave her a glare. "Do you like the new look for Lord Tyr; I call it the Frosted Mountain look."

"A new way to cool your head Tyr," Fandrel gave a chuckle at this.

"Nay, Fandrel this is not what you think," the older man said as Frigga quickly cleared her throat to get their attentions.

"We will have catching up to do, my Prince."Amora gave Thor a half smile.

"Yes I'm sure you'll try to," muttered Sif and Fandrel gave him a small grin as Frigga's voice called their attention.

"I'm sure you all can get reacquainted a bit later, right now we have pressing matters to deal with."

"Aye my lady," bowed Tyr as the group went over to the center and stood before the All-Father and All-Mother, and Thor asked his mother.

"Pressing matters? Did not Tyr and Volstagg go to Alfheim to act in a diplomatic mission well on three months ago? Surely they have come back with happy news?"

"If only it were that simple," Volstagg remarked as the group bowed to Odin and all rose as the King addressed them.

"My sons, warriors of Asgard," the All-Father intoned in a grave voice. "I asked you here on a matter of most urgency. As you know Tyr and Volstagg were sent to visit Alfheim at the behest of Lord Frey who had discovered a group of nomads living near the Skornheim Moutians. This mission was meant to be diplomatic, however they were attacked by an unseen force, and most of the Light elf armies were destroyed."

"Destroyed by what?" Thor inquired, intrigued by the news as Tyr bowed to Odin.

"If I may continue All-Father," Odin nodded as Tyr proceeded after thanking him. He motioned to Amora who cast a spell to create a window portal showing the snow covered mountain area of Skornheim where there once was forest of verdant green, now only dead black trees stood. Through those trees came the roars of unworldly creatures and the group looked on in shock at the blurred and distorted images of monstrous beings that crushed anything in their paths, knocking over trees three times their size, and even biting each other to get ahead.

"Cousin what is the meaning of this? What are those creatures?" Thor asked and Loki stepped forward to examine the scene more as Balder commented.

"Whatever they are, they're really big."

"And nasty," Fandrel added scowling. "It's like they're running from something."

"Or running for someone," corrected Loki and Tyr nodded as Amora closed the image portal she had created. Tyr glanced at Odin and the others as he spoke.

"Our men were out-numbered by strange creatures that looked like trolls that had mated with giants, which had yet to evolve from their primordial state. We have named them Skomms and we believe they were created and are by no means natural."

"Disgusting?" Loki asked curious by the choice of name and Fandrel added in gest.

"They certainly look it."

Loki covered a laugh at this as Tyr continued, casting the trickster and the dashing one a heated glare. The two stood upright trying to be as serious as possible at the moment, as the others listened and the older man continued.

"As you know, I was sent with Volstagg to assist Lord Frey with the diplomatic negotiations with the newly discovered nomadic group that has been living around the mountain regions of Hindi, Gundershiem, Skornhiem and Nidavellir. They have been living there for centuries and have only recently come into contact with us."

"Aye, and a good lot they are, wonderful cooks," Volstagg interrupted and Tyr gave him a narrowed gaze. "Of course there's more to them than that. Their leader is King Batukhan, a fair and serious man who welcomed us with open arms. That is…well, until the attacks started to happen."

"Attacks" Sif inquired and Amora nodded to her, "But weren't you going with them to act as protection against attacks, Enchantress?"

Amora smiled, but her green eyes shot furry at the lady warrior as she said in a cool voice, "While my skills as an enchanter are quiet high, Lady Sif, the spell that broke mine was of a different nature. Something far more powerful, ancient I'm sure. It might be something of pure energy, but I'm sure a warrior like you has no time to read and really understand the idea of old magic."

Sif took a step forward and Balder held her back as Amora addressed Odin.

"Those, _disgusting_ creatures, we believe were the second part of an assault meant to cause the destruction of the main city."

"Second part," Sif asked as Tyr came over by her nodding his head.

"Yes, my lady, the second part of it, and not the most pleasant."

"What was the first part then?" she asked sternly and Loralei seemed to laugh which Sif caught. "Is there something you wish to tell us Lady Loralei?"

Amora shot her sister a fierce look and the younger woman shut up. She inclined her head to Sif who returned the gesture as Amora spoke. "The first part was an attack by magic that penetrated the field I cast over the area of the city and surrounding villages."

"I thought you said before you left that you're spells could handle anything," Loki gave her a smug smirk and Amora shot him a cool gaze.

"This was something even _you_ would not be prepared for, Lord Loki," Tyr patted her shoulder and Amora seemed to calm down slightly, her glare leveled at Sif and the Trickster. Tyr ignored the scuffle and spoke to Odin and Frigga.

"It came when we were ill prepared All-Father, I take responsibility for that. We still don't know why the villages were attacked or by what means. And given the rampages of those beasts it won't be long before they decide to strike the city with full force."

"And what of the rulers of this country, surely they have ways of protecting themselves?" Frigga inquired cautiously looking down on the group considering all aspects. Odin had his eyes closed and Loki knew his Father was trying to use some form of magic to see out into the world. Volstagg replied first and bowed to Frigga.

"My Lady Frigga, I can certainly tell you that the ruler of the country is quiet the intellect. King Batukhan is a noble man of the highest degree, offering us the greatest hospitality and kindness that he could bestow. Allow me to tell you of the first night there. King Batukhan offered us the most succulent feast of roast, glistened with honey from the royal bees that he keeps, and side dishes that could make your mouth water…"

"He is a man of renown to his people, just and honorable All-Mother. A man that could truly make a solid ally of Asgard," Tyr noted and closed his eyes, "If we could help to keep his humble country from falling."

"And why is it that he's been assailed?" Balder asked humbly and Amora waved her hand.

"We're not quite sure. According to Lord Frey there have been some issues in recent years. The outlying villages near the edge of the mountains have reported activities long before this attack occurred. The king won't tell us much outside of who he suspects, though he won't give us the okay to try to locate this person either."

"And who is the person that the King Batukhan suspects," inquired Loki, the whole idea of some unseen powerful mystical force fascinated him enough to want to even care about this situation. He wanted to see just how powerful this magic was, that it was able to break past one of the strongest magic users he knew personally.

"A man only known to us as Mongol of Mystic Mountain," Volstagg told him. Odin looked up at this and Loki noted his Father's reaction to the name.

"And you have no idea what he wants?" Thor asked and Tyr shrugged.

"We have no proof that it is him, nor even a reason why he would war with the King."

"Aye but the fact still remains whoever made the attack they attacked not only the warriors of King Batukhan, but also Asgard, Vanir and Light Elf warriors," Thor ascertained and looked to his Father and Mother, "If that is not a declaration of war then I don't know what is."

"It is not war," Odin said sternly and Thor looked to his Father inquisitively. "War is an act that happens between two nations where in one wishes to take over the other. This is not a war, but a lone fight between one man and a nation."

"A coup" Loki queried and his father nodded, "But why over throw a small country like that?"

"Who knows," Thor intoned, "Regardless if it is war or not Father, we should take the battle to them, and show them the Might of Asgard."

Loki rolled his eyes at this, as Tyr thumped his brother on the back. As usual the God of War always sided with the God of Thunder, destruction begot destruction. Odin scowled at Thor and rose as he spoke, slamming down Gungnir to emphasize his point.

"War is not A GAME! It is a battle that costs many lives, and many innocent lives at that. War is not something used as a means to throw power around. A king knows to always be prepared for war, but also when not to engage in one. This is not the time for war; it is a time for prevention. This is not the struggle of the Aesir, it is a battle that is to be fought by King Batukhan and his warriors. Thor, you and your brother, Fandrel, Balder and Sif, will accompany Tyr and Volstagg back, along with Lady Amora and her sister, to aid the King in the battles to come, but you will not wage war on behalf of Asgard. Do I make myself perfectly clear to you?"

"Aye, Father, you do," Thor lowered his head as Odin gave his decree.

"Thor, God of Thunder, Loki, God of Mischif, You are to accompany Tyr, the God of War on his quest and aid the people of King Batukhan. This is there fight, but we will help in any way we can, and you will obey his orders and those of Lord Frey's as if they were my own. This is my decree."

A response of 'Aye Odin, lord All-Father,' echoed the chamber as Frigga added.

"To aid you in this mission, we will have horses and supplies given to you. Keep in mind you are there on the command of the All-Father and myself, whatever actions you take reflects upon us, and thus all of Asgard."

"Yes Lady Frigga, All-Mother," came the response.

"You will be leaving by tomorrow's dawn, I suggest you take this time to relax and reacquaint yourselves with one another. Such a task needs team work, and as such, you will be expected to work together to protect the king and his people. Treat them as you treat your own."

"Aye, All-Mother," once again came the response and the group was dismissed. Loki followed along after Tyr, Thor and Balder who were chatting both seriously and laughing about matters that he didn't really care about. His mind was thinking of the creatures that he had seen and what sort of power could have created such beasts. Fandrel had stopped to chat up Loralei, while Volstagg was talking with Sif, discussing various battle tactics and the culture of the city that they were to visit.

Loki slowed down and found his arm taken up by Amora who smirked at him.

"As always a pleasure to see you to my fellow mischief maker, my how you have grown," she smirked, and he returned the smirk.

"And your beauty has yet to fail you my dear, still having your eyes on my brother I see?"

"Aye, but the raven haired witch seems to have his, no doubt."

Loki shrugged, he wasn't sure if Thor was completely invested in Sif as of yet, but he knew that his brother had not been looking at others, that was certain. Amora nudged him, "And what of you dark prince? Have you had any ladies catch your fancy, or do your eyes still linger on me?"

Loki laughed at this and gave her a smug smile as she turned him to head out of the building and away from the others. He went along with it knowing that Amora would give him information that she had kept from the others in the meeting.

"Can any man's eyes_ not_ linger on you, Amora? You are after all the Enchantress, and what great power of seduction you have reside upon all that live in Asgard," Loki told her and Amora grinned.

"Still as charming as ever, I see."

"I can be," he smirked and offered her a seat in the court yard. Amora sat and Loki joined her, she leaned on him, and put her legs up on the other side of the seat. "So tell me more of these adventures you were having?"

"And spoil the surprise? I think not, my dear friend, it would be a shame if you missed out on the fun I had trying to figure things out," She teased him and Loki gave her a devious grin.

"You have no clue about the magic used against you, do you Amora."

At that she sat up and pouted, "And what makes you think so?"

Loki pulled her face very close to his, pinching her chin with his fingers. "Because I know you too well, sorceress, and you have the perspicuity to lie just as much as I do, though, I do it far better."

Amora smirked brightly at this and ran her hand down his thigh, Loki didn't flinch. He knew her game; touching, feeling, using her looks and voice to get what she desired, and what she desired, he knew, was time alone with his brother. Two could easily play at that game as he had his own wants in mind, such as knowing all he could about the city they were going to and what this strange Mongol was.

"You seem to forget I had you wrapped in my little lies for a while," the young woman teased and Loki raised an eyebrow. He knew she was talking of when they were younger and she had offered him a kiss in return for helping her get Thor away from his friends. The kiss wasn't the reason though that he helped her, though it was pleasant enough, no, the reason behind his assistance came from seeing the look on her face when he double crossed her in the end and let Sif and Balder in on Amora's side of the plan. She knew he had betrayed her, and he knew that she wouldn't just give out infomation to him.

"Keep in mind the word you just used Amora, _had. _It means an awful lot doesn't it," Loki whispered to her waiting to see what her next move was. Daring her to try something on him, to try to trick or use him. This was a fun game, and it made up for the entertainment he had lost earlier in the day with Sigyn. Just as the thought crossed his mind he heard a horse coming up the path and glanced up. Amora turned to look too, only to see one of the guards passing. She glimpsed Loki's face and caught sight of a bit of sadness that came over him, which vanished the moment she spoke.

"Looking for something darling?"

"No," he said and sat up more as she moved closer to him. "Why do you care in the first place?"

"Come now, you can't hide things from me," she pressed and he laughed sarcastically. Oh if only she really knew how much he hid from everyone. Playing along he brushed her hair with his fingers, murmuring.

"Perhaps I can't," Loki leaned forward as if to kiss her, when he heard a sharp whinny. This time he recognized the sound of the horse, as he'd heard it over the past several weeks when it came down the path to Eir's healing temple. He got up swiftly, causing Amora to catch herself before she fell, and sit up looking rather un-amused by his sudden action.

"What is it now?" she inquired and saw him watch as Bragi rode up the road with Sigyn. The poet stopped and smiled seeing Loki and Amora.

"What ho Prince Loki, and is that young lady there Lady Amora?" The poet dismouted the horse and helped Sigyn down, who stood behind him looking at the blonde girl then at Loki. He smiled and bowed to them as Amora got up and came over offering her hand to Bragi, who kissed it once.

"Aye, good Poet Bragi, it is. How are you and your lovely wife?" She asked and then glanced over at Sigyn who was watching both of them curiously. "And who is this lovely young lady."

"Idunn and I are well, and this is my sister, Sigyn. She is Idunn's younger sister," Bragi explained and Sigyn curtsied to Amora. "Sigyn, this is Lady Amora, one of my former students."

"Now I'm known as the Enchantress," she told Bragi proudly and he nodded, pleased by her pride in her new title. "Are you going to train little Sigyn?"

"I'm not little," Sigyn commented softly and looked at Loki stating carefully. "So is this why Sister Liv could not attend today?"

Amora gave her a confused look and Loki quirked his lips at this as he bowed to her.

"Nay good Lady Sigyn, there were matters of greater importance," he lowered his voice to whisper in her ear. "Though, do not doubt that I should have preferred to have had Sister Liv at your side rather than deal with the matters that I am pressed into serving."

Her cheeks flushed and she looked away, "You speak to forwardly sometimes, Prince Loki."

"Is it too warm out in the sun Sigyn?" Bragi asked her and she gave a short nod. Lifting Sigyn up onto the horse Bragi inquired, "Ah, well it was good to see you both. Will you be staying here long Amora?"

"No, I'm afraid not, we will be leaving tomorrow morning." She said shaking her head, her long hair swaying and Sigyn looked over at Loki curiously.

"We?"

"Yes, Thor, I, and the others were asked to accompany Lady Amora and my cousin Tyr to deal with some issues regarding a new ally of Asgard," Loki informed her then took her hand in his and kissed it. "I should hope to not be gone too long, Lady Sigyn."

"Well, I'll pray for your safe return," she said softly and Loki gave her a smirk, which made her turn away realizing he was teasing her again. Letting go he bowed to Bragi who mounted the horse and Loki asked.

"Lord Bragi, should we return earlier, may I incline to ask your wife if I may have permission once more to wander the Garden?"

"You may, if you get back before late autumn comes."

Loki bobbed his head as Bragi bid them both good-bye and rode off with Sigyn. Amora waited till they were in the distance to inquire, "Something did catch your fancy then?"

"Aye, just a toy," Loki tried to wave it off and she smirked.

"The daughter of Lady Freya, interesting toy then my Prince, and she is certainly smitten with you, though I don't think she knows it yet."

Loki gave her a smug expression, "Regardless if she is or is not, Amora, now is not the time to discuss my play things. Rather I should like to know about this attack more?"

"Perhaps after dinner, right now I'm famished," smirked Amora, "Though your eyes look as if you've had a meal though."

At that Loki shot a projectile flare at her and Amora skipped, dodging it and ran off laughing back into the palace. Dinner was a rousing event; with Tyr bragging to all about the various wonders of the warriors of King Batukhan. Loki stifled a yawn, battles were interesting when you planned them, fighting in them however was more fun when you actually did it and not when you heard about it second hand. He listened though, and raised an eyebrow when Volstagg mentioned some sort of treasury room that had old items.

"Old items of what type," Loki inquired as Volstagg smiled.

"I knew that might catch your fancy, Loki," he took a slug of his wine and started in, "Well you see the King's head warrior, Nassor let me take a look in this one area that the king has reserved for some of the items that he's collected over the years. There was what…some vases, paintings, oh these beautiful scrolls."

Loki nodded looking interested, a part of him was, but a part of him just didn't care about the art, not when he was sure that there had to be some sort of magic hidden there.

"Don't forget the crystals," Amora said and Loki looked at her as did the others.

"Crystals," Sif asked curiously. "What reason would a king need crystals for?"

"Perhaps some sort of hobby," suggested Balder and Tyr shook his head lowering his voice.

"Nay, nothing that simple," he motioned his head to Amora who sipped her drink slowly and Loralei giggled grinning at them.

"Amora thinks that it may be various beings trapped in there."

"Beings," Thor asked and looked to his cousin. "You said nothing of the King collecting creatures Tyr?"

"I did not think it was of importance," Tyr remarked casually.

Sif furrowed her brow at him. "Aye, but it could very well be why his kingdom is being attacked. Did you not report this to Lord Fray?"

Tyr scowled at her and said haughtily, "Lord Fray has more important matters to deal with, and didn't have time for a collection of crystals that may, or may not, have creatures in them."

"But if they did, then that quite possibly could have fueled the attack," Sif argued and Loki nodded his head in agreement.

"Did you at least ask about them?" he inquired and Thor added quickly.

"We should when we arrive there."

Tyr looked at them with furrowed brows, "Are you suggesting that I did not do my job as leader?"

"Nay, good cousin, but Lady Sif does have a point. It is something that we should look into," Thor told him and then smiled at Loki brightly, "And who better than my brother to do that."

"Me?" Loki questioned and pointed to himself. "Surely you jest brother, Amora is more than capable."

"Nonsense, you're skills have yet to be equally matched. No doubt that something like this would interest you," Thor smirked in a roguish way. Loki smiled back acting humble, but knowing that he had gotten exactly what he wanted.

"Very well if you insist," Tyr scoffed and Loki shot him a dark gaze, "Is something wrong Cousin Tyr?"

"Nay, Loki, but the idea that you're magic should be wasted on studying crystals when there is a battle to be waged is disheartening."

"Who says that I will not be part of the battle," Loki remarked seriously. "I have as many skills with a sword as the others, and my magic can certainly aid in turning the tide, or perhaps healing a small wound here and there. Do not think for one moment that I would not wish to share in the glory of the fight, though I do so, only if we do not run into battle blindly."

"Aye, a good point, we need to work on a strategy and figure out what those Skomms really are," Volstagg said as he munched on a leg of lamb. "Surely with the lot of you we can uncover all of this wizardry."

"You really think a wizard did all this Volstagg?" Fandrel teased and the larger man chuckled.

"If not a wizard then a witch," Loki glimpsed a look between the sisters, who quietly returned to their meal at this. Something was off, he felt it, and the more he knew the more likely he could use it against the two women who sat opposite him.

With the evening hours waning the group retired to one of the chambers where they were waited on by servants who served them, fruits, cheese and wine. Balder, Thor, and Volstagg entertained them with an imaginative song as they drank. When they were finished the others, including Loki, laughed at this. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except for Tyr who stood by the fire looking grim.

"Something ailing you, Cousin, come and join us," Thor waved him over offering him a goblet. Tyr walked over, took it, and then proceeded to spill it on the remaining food, the others looking at him with surprised then sour faces.

"Drink, make merry, there is no time for this," Tyr said seriously and Loki pulled Thor down whispering to his brother to calm himself. The older man looked at Thor, "Your Father is wrong about the idea of this being a war, you were right; we need to find them before they attack us."

"While I agree that we need to find them, Father made his decree clear. We are there to aid them, no more, no less. If the King wishes us to war for him we will, but we will not drag Asgard in on this mess," Thor told Tyr and the God of war, who, Loki now realized was drunk and an angry one at that, leaned down to Thor.

"Just because you are now the golden one does not mean you can order me around Thor Odinson."

Thor rose slowly to meet his cousin's look, muscles flexing, reading for a fight when Sif was quick put in. "He isn't ordering you Tyr, he is telling you what the All-Father decreed. If you wish to go against his word then you do so alone."

Tyr looked at them and suddenly screamed, "Is this what Asgard's newest warriors have to offer. Weak willed children, and women to fight?"

Sif reached for her sword and Volstagg held her back. Her blue eyes sparking with anger as the man waved his hands around wildly.

"_This_…is what I will have to work with? _This lot…_ and a few dozen Hawks, this is the penalty I gain for not being allowed on the council."

"You kept speaking of warring with other kingdoms that we have peace with," Fandrel reminded him and Tyr sneered.

"Even so we are the strongest of them, we are the ones that molded this world, shaped it. Bah, but you won't hear of it, so be it. In the morning, by dawn, we ride." He stormed out at this and Loki looked to his brother who he pushed back down into the chair.

"I know you're upset…" Loki started softly as Thor held his hand up.

"Do not speak to me now brother."

Loki took a breath and tried again, charming his words to soothe his brother's temper. "I know you are upset at him, but I have to say you were right in what you did. If we went in there swords swinging we could start a fight with the nomads, and then the Vanir and you know how much that would hurt mother." He watched Thor's face soften and knew he was getting to him. "Want to know what I think. I think you should talk to Lord Frey alone, tell him what you saw here, and have him make you leader over Tyr."

"Nay, I can't do that. Tyr was appointed by Father, it would be up to him to remove him." Thor told him bluntly, though clearly he was thinking the same way Loki was. They both knew that Tyr's temper could lead them into danger, and risk the mission itself. "He was drunk; he will come to his sense in the morning."

Loki gave a nod adding then, "Well, just so you know, I'm proud of you for not taking a swing at him. I believe in you, and love you brother."

Thor quirked his head at Loki as the trickster added with a playful smirk, "Now why not give your brother a kiss."

Thor batted him away gently, causing the others to chuckle some, including Thor who shook his head and muttered about him being an ass. Loki smirked slightly and departed early. He waited a while and found Amora heading to her room.

"A word with you Lady Amora," Loki said and she paused at her door. Amora stretched and looked at him coyly.

"Could it not wait till morning?"

"No, actually it can't, may I speak with you in private?"

She raised an eyebrow, a devious smirk came across her face as she opened the door and let him follow her in.

* * *

Hours later he was back in his chamber resting at the window looking out over the starlit city. Loki sighed some and ran his fingers through his hair, making sure not one lock of gold remained in it and glanced at his reflection. Moments before he had looked like Thor, or at least as good as he could, and the darkness in her room had helped, it had allowed him to get Amora to talk more openly. He of course had to play her game to get what he wanted, and even during his time with her his mind raced on the information she gave to him. Women were an odd lot, some more confusing than others. Still the price was well worth the reward he received from the Enchantress.

He knew now that the spell that had broken through her wall had influences of magic from the Hindi region, and that while the field around the villages that she had put up fell, something had kept the beasts at bay from attacking the city. What that was she suspected was a force-field that came from the city itself and it had to do with the crystals Volstagg had found. With this he was certain he could find a way to stop the magic from decimating the forces they had left.

Loki's eyes strayed over to Bragi's home, and he leaned back. He was tired, and though he wanted a chance before he left to play with his toy, the exhaustion from keeping up an appearance for Amora for so long, and keeping it solid long enough to engage her in what she wanted from Thor, kept him from trying to transform again. He managed to produce some blue magic smoke and traced it as he fell to sleep on the window seat, dreaming of another golden haired girl who kept his secrets and told him things without bargains or need of tricks.


	11. Chapter 11:Beasts and Battles

_**A/N: Please forgive if this Chapter has issues with the battle scenes. It's been a long time since I've written them and it was rather difficult. King Batukhan is not an actual character from Marvel but an idea based on the history of Hogan the Grim, which hasn't yet been reveled fully. All countries list are based on the information Marvel has about Asgard. **_

_**Copyright: All characters belong to Marvel comics, Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby, Roy Thompson and John Buscame. **_

By sun up they were riding hard to the passage way to Skornhiem Mountains. The nine realms were broken into parts; four of the worlds (Asgard, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, and Alfheim) were on the main Asgard continent, the rest floated in other dimensions resting on the roots of the world tree. The fastest way into these other worlds were through passages that teleported travelers to different destinations within the main continent, and this was how they were getting to the area of Skornheim Mountains where Frey and his warriors from Alfheim were waiting.

Loki took a quick look back at Asgard wondering how long before they would see it again. It was early autumn and the frost was beginning to cover the ground. He pondered if there would be snow before long, and scowled slightly as he turned his horse away to follow the others. Normally he didn't care about how long a mission took, as long as he was able to get back to his chamber to sleep in his bed, he was happy with riding out on a journey. This time it was different, he knew that they had to get this over with by the time late Autumn came so he could at least see Sigyn before the cold snapped and Idunn and Bragi headed to the forest in Alfheim along with the whole garden itself.

"Something bothering you brother," Thor had noticed Loki falling behind, and waited for him. He slowed to look at Asgard as the sun rose over the building. "Beautiful sight is it not?"

"Aye, but when do you think we'll be getting to see it proper again?" Loki inquired thoughtfully. Thor studied him and then looked back at the city.

"With luck and skill, we shall be back well before the snow falls."

"I should hope so," Loki told him and they heard a shout from Balder who was now calling to them, "Seems you're wanted."

"We're wanted, you're part of this mission too, don't forget that Loki," Thor reminded him as their horses trotted over to Balder. The younger man indicated that the others were just waiting ahead.

"Tyr, Amora, and Lorelei road on," Balder told them, his normally calm demeanor removed and a hint of irritation came out in his tone. "Volstagg is waiting for us. I swear I've never seen him like this. It's…_unnerving_, like he's lost his mind somehow."

"Perhaps our dear cousin has finally found himself in love," Thor teased, while Loki on the other hand mused.

"Or bewitched," Balder gave him an incredulous look and Loki added, with a dismissing gesture, "Or it could be nothing but feeling the after effects of being drunk last night, who knows."

"No, you said bewitched," Balder prompted and Loki smirked amused at the fact he'd hit a nerve with the younger man. Balder was the hardest of the group to get a reaction from so this gave him a chance to at least keep his mind off of Asgard and his toy that was still there. "What made you say bewitched, Loki?"

"Most likely Amora," Fandrel's voice replied as they reached the others. Loki shrugged slightly at this and Fandrel added, "She's clever enough to try some tricks to get what she wants, and if she wants more of position for Lord Frey, this would be something she might do."

"Do?" Balder inquired and Thor laughed.

"Loki, Fandrel, do you honestly think Lady Amora would waste her magic on seducing our good cousin?"

"She wasted quite a bit of magic on trying to get to you," Sif said and Thor looked a bit shamefaced at this. When he didn't answer promptly she gave a chuckle and turned her horse. "Volstagg's waiting for us just beyond the trees there, but Lord Tyr went on with the others. He said that they're going ahead with the Hawks."

"Of course he would," Loki muttered under his breath and detected Thor give Fandrel a smirking smile. "Brother what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking today would be a good day for a race, don't you agree Loki?" Thor said ushering his stallion a bit forward. Loki smirked at this and gave the others a superior look.

"I'm certain then that you'll have the trouble of keeping up. Where shall we race to?"

"The passage to Skornheim of course," Thor laughed and the others grinned expectantly as he said, "The rules are simple. First one to the passage way wins and no tricks Loki."

"Now why on earth would I do that?" Loki said in a mock haughty way.

"Because it's your way," Sif told him and looked at Thor. "So we go past the Hawks and Lord Tyr's group then?"

"Aye, that's the plan," Thor told her with a grin as Fandrel laughed inquiring.

"Well then what's the prize?"

"The winner gets the best tent," Balder suggested as the group found Volstagg waiting for them around the bend. When he heard of the race he slapped Thor on the shoulder and shouted.

"Splendid idea, I would join in with you but it wouldn't be fair to you young ones."

"Aye, would be a shame for us to lose to someone as grand as you Volstagg," Loki complimented, though it didn't quite meet his eyes. Fandrel grinned and flipped back his cloak.

"So Volstagg is our tracker then?"

"Aye and the Judge," Thor told them as the group lined up. "What he says is final."

"Agreed," the group said in unison as they got ready. Balder and Fandrel were on the far right and left, Sif was on Thor's right while Loki was to his left.

"I should hope that you will try to keep up Brother," Thor teased him and Loki smirked.

"I wish you the best of luck too, Thor, I have a feeling you're going to need it."

"On my mark," Volstagg shouted to the group as they readied their horses, his hand raised in the air. Loki's black mare pulled back some, pawing the ground with her hooves.

"Get set!" Volstagg cried out as the riders leaned forward, each feeling the urge to win and prove they were the better rider. Loki's grip on the reins tightened as he felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his lean body.

"Go!" screamed Volstagg as he dropped his hand and the group shot off in a flurry of dirt and frost. Thundering hooves echoed around the plains of Asgard as the five riders raced across the field kicking up dirt and urging their mounts to go faster. Thor's was the swiftest, but Loki kept his mare at a stride so that his brother was never be too far ahead of him. Sif was right behind, followed by Balder and Fandrel who were jockeying to get around her and Loki in order to race Thor. Loki wouldn't have it though, he would beat his brother in this, even if someone else beat both of them, he wanted to make sure that he at least beat Thor.

"Trying to best me Loki?" Thor laughed as Loki's black mare caught up with Thor's silver and gray stallion. Loki gave him a sly smile.

"Now why would you think that brother, given this is a race." He kicked his horse to ride harder and the two were soon neck and neck. Thor let out a loud laugh as he gripped the reins tighter and pushed his horse to fly as swiftly as the winds. Loki growled and tried to nudge the beast to the side making it go slower. Thor in turn returned the gesture and the two were soon in an out and out force duel. Ahead the plains gave out into mountains and the grounds became rocky with small boulders lying in their paths.

Loki slowed down to maneuver but then saw Sif fly past him and Thor by having her horse jump the rocks. He scowled as she expertly danced her horse ahead of them. Before them Loki could see a wave of red clad warriors in strict precision. They were in lock step as they road in quick formation behind Tyr and the others. Sif ignored this and road around them on the right, Thor following suit right behind her, while Loki shot past on the left and Fandrel with Balder decided to just run through their ranks. The horses' scattered as Balder called out to them as he past.

"Sorry!"

Loki looked back to see Tyr rein his horse and give hot pursuit, but they were far and away ahead of him. Turning his horse he raced after Sif who was now in hot contention with his brother, the two looked like they were laughing about something and Loki couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of not being involved with the joke. As he rode closer to Thor, Sif's horse took on a burst of speed leaving them behind and Thor hollered to Loki.

"It seems she thinks she can beat us brother!"

"I suppose we'll have to show her otherwise?" Loki inquired mischievously and hurried to catch up to Sif. She looked over at him as he drew up beside her laughing.

"Don't tell me Thor thinks sending you here to distract me will make it easier for him to win?"

"Nay Lady Sif, not my intention," Loki smirked to her as they came out of a narrow section of the road and out onto the main meadow where the passageway lied dead ahead. "I only wish to beat him; I don't care if you win in this race or not. But I figured that we could possible keep him from getting ahead."

Sif shook her head and then pushed her stallion headlong. Loki followed suit and the two pressed their horse forward until both stallion and mare were dodging rocks and shrubs that got in their way. Behind him Loki could hear Balder getting off his mare and leading her gently through the terrain while Fandrel looked for a smoother passage way through, figuring the less rocky ground would allow him to have a faster ride. Sif was well ahead of the other riders when Thor and Loki gained on her, then her stallion reared up and threw her off. Both men slowed their horses, as Thor jumped off to check on her.

"Sif," Thor whispered and looked over at his Cousin who had ridden up behind them and was now staring down at Sif along with Amora and Lorelei. Sif rose as Loki got off his horse and walked over to them, Thor inquiring as to if she was alright.

"Aye, though why he threw me…" she looked at the horse, which was moving around as if startled by something. Loki walked over and searched the ground, then cast a small spell on the horse. A second later it had calmed, and seeing nothing, he took the reins and brought the beast back over to Sif and Thor.

"It seems your horse was enchanted," Loki lowered his voice enough for Sif and Thor to hear. Tyr's group road past them towards the passageway and he gave a look at Sif as if challenging her to say something to him. Amora seemed to smirk and Lorelei gave her a worried look, clearly she was surprised to have seen Sif thrown.

"Enchanted?" Thor asked surprised and shifted his eyes at Amora and her sister who were now listening to instructions from Tyr. "You think that they may have enchanted Lady Sif's horse?"

Loki gave a nod, it was something he would have done himself if only Volstagg wasn't watching them. Sif pushed her shoulders back and started for Amora and Lorelei, "I think I have a few choice words to say to them."

Thor gently took her shoulders and turned her away, "Aye, but not now. When we get by Lord Frey we can have a discussion about this."

"I have to agree with Thor," Loki told her when she looked at him for an opinion on it. If it was up to him he would have happily let them fight it out, but the fact remained that they needed Sif, and Amora, for all the amusement she could bring, could be treacherous and he wondered if she had found out more about the Mongol then she let on. "If you go after her now it will look like you're accusing her out of jealousy."

"I am not jealous," Sif stated bluntly and Loki's lips quirked as if to say 'Yes you are.' He gave her a sideways nod and Sif glanced between them. "She can't get away with this."

"She won't," Thor said as Tyr marched over to them and slapped Thor behind the head. The blonde turned fast swinging and Tyr caught the punch. "What did you do that for Cousin?"

"Because you and your friends are acting like fools," Tyr told him angrily, his blue eyes flashing with fury. "This is a campaign Thor Odinson, not some childish day in the sun. We are not on a trip, we are about to enter a place where you could die, and you, like a cretin, are racing around as if this was a lark."

"I know the serious mission, Tyr" Thor said as he wrenched his fist from the older man's grip and yelled at him. "I am no halfwit; we were simply enjoying ourselves one last time before we went into battle."

"Battles are not meant to be fun! You play around too much Thor, no doubt Loki and Lady Sif talked you into this," Tyr shouted back as Balder and Fandrel arrived on the scene. He looked at Loki and Sif as he muttered, "I knew I should not have let the women join us."

"What did you say?" Loki and Sif shouted in unison. Fandrel was off his horse in an instant and grabbing Loki by his wrists to keep him from casting a spell on the War God. Balder got between Thor and Tyr to try to calm the situation.

"Cousin, please! Don't insult Loki or Lady Sif! Both are excellent fighters! Sif could match any man in a fight, and Loki could render a man unconscious with one hit of magic." Balder regarded the two men, "Please leave off. This bickering gets us nowhere."

Tyr gave a growl and turned away from the group as he stormed back over to Amora, then mounted and shouted. "Through this passage is the portal to the forest that leads up the mountain trail. Do not get behind; I will not come back for you."

He nodded to Lorelei and Amora who turned to follow him in. Thor let out a long breath and Fandrel asked as Volstagg road up slowly, having seen everything from a slight distance, but hearing the shouting. "Should we follow him?"

"Let him die of his own arrogance," Loki spat, rage sparking in his eyes, and magic jolting in small bursts from his fingers. He clenched his fist as the red haired man exhaled loudly.

"Nay, Loki, would be a harsh loss to our men if Tyr were to die. You shouldn't speak ill in such a way."

Loki whirled to face the man and shouted, "After what just happened? After what he said, calling me a woman! Insulting all of us; we are as strong of warriors and better men then he could ever wish to be."

"Aye, but your Father did decree that you should follow him," pointed out Volstagg.

"And perhaps to die by his actions," he looked to Thor. "You agree correct, that man is crazed or enchanted."

"Indeed he does not act like himself," Thor intoned sadly and looked at Volstagg with a narrowed brow. "Volstagg, did something happen to him while on this mission?"

"A few things," Volstagg said softly and stroked his beard. "He met one of Lord Frey's fighters; a woman named Adilya, and started to court her. During the attack she was wounded and he blames her energetic nature for it."

"Energetic nature or not," Fandrel intoned. "Is he really mentally ready for this fight?"

Sif seemed to be considering something and looked at the portal, "If we don't follow him we're breaking the word of Odin, but if we were to explain our reasons behind that, perhaps he'd call Tyr back and insist upon another working for Frey?"

"Aye that might be a wise suggestion, if we had the time," Loki said spotting the Hawks coming. The others looked on as the group of riders came; a brown haired man with a tail and markings of a commander was in the lead. They stopped before Thor and the others, dismounted and bowed to Thor.

"Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard," the commander said. "We are here to follow you into the heat of battle. What is your command?"

Loki looked at his brother who was deciding things over. After a moment he put a hand on the commander's shoulder and asked his name.

"I am Captain Amold Andenon and these men, are my unit. We are ready to assist you on your mission Lord Thor."

"Amold Andenon, are you willing to obey all my orders and forsake others commands in the heat of battle?" Thor asked him and Loki watched his brother curiously.

_ What is he doing? Or is he doing what I think he's doing and this could be used to help us deal with Tyr's insane orders?_ Loki wondered as the Captain nodded and Thor stepped back.

"Then we ride to the Skornhiem Mountains and to the battle for King Batukhan's kingdom!" Thor mounted his stallion and Loki lowered his gaze to the ground. This was going to be near suicide given Tyr's attitude. Reluctantly he mounted along with the others and, with Volstagg in the lead, road through the portal and into a snowy valley.

Loki watched as the others quickly wrapped themselves up tighter in their cloaks. He liked the cold; it never truly bothered him the way it did the others. The joke was that it just showed how callous he could be, Loki thought otherwise. He'd seen the cold not effect Angabroda, and wondered if being around her she'd cast some sort of spell, or if that crystal that he'd touched before had something to do with it.

The forest was dark, darker then Loki thought possible as they made their way up the trail of the mountain following Volstagg. The dead blackened trees rose before them like the sinister fingers of a long dead skeletal giant. No birds sang here, no animals dared to move. This place seemed cursed. The only sounds were that of their breaths and the horses' slow foot falls in the snows. He looked to his comrades each glancing around slowly to get a view of the place. Misty smoke swirled up towards the gray sky on the winds, and he was sure that something was watching them in the trees.

Loki moved slowly up to Thor who said softly, "This place feels like a grave."

"Yes and if we're not careful it could be our tomb," Loki replied as the pass grew narrower and they had to walk the horses up the sides of sheer cliffs. Loki gripped the reins tightly, as his mare whinnied. He pacified her as his eyes darted around for any surprise movements. Up here they were sitting ducks and he didn't want to be the first to die.

"Volstagg, what is this place?" Balder asked quietly as they moved every slowly upward to the top.

"This place is called the 'Haunted woods' the villagers think it is cursed." Volstagg told them as he pressed his body against the wall of the mountain pass. "They believe that the dead, who were killed in a shameful manner, dwell here looking for their killers."

"What a lovely thought to have right now. Undead fiends ready to spring on us at any second," Fandrel hissed in a sharp whisper. Sif rolled her eyes at his prattling and inquired.

"How much farther Volstagg, it can't be that long can it?"

"Nay, Lady Sif, just up this turn and then it's a straight ride to the top." Volstagg told them as they climbed higher. A sharp blast of wind pushed the group back as they eyed the woods below them. Something was down there, Loki was sure of it. The Hawks looked spooked as well, though they kept a tight formation and were at the ready to react should anything come at them. Volstagg slowed as they passed a large cave and motioned to the group. "Through here. It's known as the cave of reflections. We need to stay on the right, the left leads to the Mystic Mountain, terrible place, known for its ghosts and curses."

"Being a bit superstitious aren't you Volstagg?" Thor inquired of the red-haired man and he shook his head slowly.

"Not I, but the king is. Very much so, he won't even talk about the place."

"Won't talk about it?" Loki asked curiously, "but why not?"

"Not sure, and I don't want to ask, that may upset Lord Frey," Volstagg told him and Loki nodded looking at the winding path that lead down into a stalagmite covered passage which reminded Loki of a dragon sleeping with its mouth open. The route to the top of the mountain trail was slow going, ice made it hard for the group to walk and their warm clothing kept them bogged down. Thor and Volstagg got to the exit first and hopped up on a ledge to hoist the others and their horses up one at a time. Loki could see the exit and road forward to observe a snow storm building.

"Weather looks like it's turning," he told the others, Volstagg scowled deeply.

"We want to get there before the sunsets fully; they won't let us in the city gates unless we are."

"Why not," Thor asked as they mounted once more and they made a progression out of the cave. Volstagg shuddered some as he spoke.

"Because that's when _they_ come out, the Skomms."

"Those things we saw in the portal," Fandrel asked and Volstagg nodded as he wrapped a scarf around his mouth to keep his it from being frozen shut. By now large flakes were falling heavily nearly blinding them, and the winds were battering them. Loki didn't understand where the sudden storm had come from since Amora had told him the night before that storms usually rolled in slowly because of the altitude, and you could see them coming from miles away. "They come out at night? Why only night?"

"Because, well we don't rightly know; but that's when they come. Lord Frey issued an order that everyone has to be inside the city by night fall, or else." Volstagg told them as the formation moved through the storm. Loki found it all peculiar but dropped his thoughts when he caught sight of the city under the setting sun. Mixed with the snow it looked like something out of a Vanir fairy tale that his Mother would read to him at night. Volstagg smiled as they came up to a ridge, in the distance a city of red could be seen with pagoda shaped buildings and oriental styled roofs. Loki thought it looked quiet romantic, a classic ancient sort of place, with a wall around the body of the city. Volstagg waved his hands and announced with great gusto.

"Welcome my friends to the city of…"

His words were cut short by a loud explosion that rocked everyone and their horses. The group stared in horror as flames erupted near the walled city. Volstagg gawped in shock then got his brains in order and urged his horse into a running gallop, "Lord Frey and the others are down there. We have to help them! It's another attack!"

"Another one? How often do these happen, Volstagg?" Sif asked as she reined her horse and charged after him with the others hot footing it to the burning metropolis in the distance. Before he could answer there was another thunderous explosion and they saw before them a giant monster that looked like a troll and giant made of rocks and ice. It roared as it came charging out of the tree line and then another shot at them from behind.

"Damn," Loki cursed and pulled his mare in a zigzag pattern, "Faster!"

The beast lumbered forward and let out a bellow that shook and cracked the earth. Then it stomped and Loki felt the ice below his mare give way. She stumbled, throwing him to the side, and he watched in horror as the beast crushed her with one foot. Several of the Hawks were in the same trouble and Loki ran at the brute firing off various spells to keep the creature from stepping on them. He created an ice wall that acted like a barrier as the men rushed past him.

"Hurry, get out of here now!" the dark prince bellowed. He was still a boy, his magic wasn't perfected and though he had the wall prompted up Loki watched as it cracked as the monstrosity hammered at it. He forced it back with another series of spells to slow it down, causing the ground below it to turn to mud to hold it in place, but the beast just kept on coming. Loki was starting to feel his body get exhausted from over working his spells. When the last man had rushed past him he started on offensive spells casting hot projectiles over the wall, he had to give them time to get away.

That's when he heard the sound of horse hooves racing towards him and looked back to see Thor half off the saddle reaching out for him. He felt his brother lift him off his feet just as the wall began to crack and Thor threw him on the stallion behind him.

"Thanks," Loki intoned to his brother.

"Don't thank me yet," Thor told him and urged his horse to ride like the winds. The monster suddenly broke free of the barrier and sent a wave of ice and snow rushing for them. "Loki Shield!"

Loki didn't have to be asked twice as he balanced on the galloping stallion and cast an overall barrier around them to keep the snow from hitting. Thor zigzagged, jumping over falling rocks and ice that crashed at them from above. Ultimately the abomination was catching up and Loki emotions were hitting the final straw. He concentrated and called to his brother, "How do you feel about running that bastard through?"

"You have an idea to do so?"

Loki nodded and Thor turned his horse, Loki shifting, placing one hand up and narrowed his gaze. His green eyes flashed red as a burst of fiery hot energy materialized before Thor who gave a wolf like grin at the sight.

"When I give the word ram your sword into its skull!" Loki shouted to his brother above the howling storm that the beast was now creating. Thor affirmed he understood and pulled his blade, readying for a fight. The fiend backed up some at the intense heat that Loki was generating from the spell. Winds whipped around him, kicking up their cloaks and Loki gritted his teeth through the painful ice projectiles that peppered his arms, face, and body.

The brute lashed out at them, throwing up debris as its hand smashed the ground. Thor dodged and Loki used his free hand to blast the ice and rocks to a smaller size, as Thor smashed the remains with his sword. Loki focused his aim at melting the ice and rock on the beast's head. "Ready….Steady….NOW!"

Thor leapt from the racing horse as Loki's spell weakened the barrier around it just enough to allow Thor to land a killing blow that penetrated right through the creature's skull and into the soft tissue. The monster screamed wildly and Thor held on riding until it fell down dead on the ground. Loki slowed the horse trying to get his breath as Thor stood atop the creature triumphant.

"Let's not ever do that again." Loki told him and Thor laughed as he mounted the stallion and the two took off to find the others. When they came upon the battle field what they saw made Loki cringe. Before them the snow was stained red with the blood of fallen warriors. Hawks were attacking the behemoth beast as it savaged the army that came to meet it. Men and women in black fur covered outfits were hurtling various spears and javelins at the beast's legs and arms, but that wasn't even enough to deter it. Loki could see the Hawks firing off arrows of flame as rockets blasted off from the city at the creature.

"Loki do you see the others?" Thor asked though the roar of the winds as they charged through the dead, Thor avoiding flying chucks of ice and rock that the creature belched from its vast maw.

"No," Loki started to say when he caught sight of Sif running over the back of the creature with Balder, stabbing at its hind quarters. He pointed, "There! Lady Sif and Balder, I think."

Thor looked and stood up on the stallion pulling his sword from its sheath, "Brother, I'm going to go help them. See if you can get Lady Amora and Lorelei to help you create some sort of spell to push this beast back from the city gate."

Loki gave him a nod, grabbing hold of the reins and ushered the stallion closer to the monster. As they got near the back Loki realized the beast was twice the size of the one he and Thor had killed. Once they were at its back leg and keeping even with the beast, Thor leapt at the monster and stabbed into it with his blade. The creature roared and swatted at him. Archers were trying to pull at the beast's other leg to get it to fall, but it was fighting with all its force. Loki turned the stallion away just before it swung its hind claw right where he had been, taking some of the black armored warriors with the motion. They flew through the air and crashed to the ground at a distance.

Without hesitating he raced off for the city gates, only to find the Hawks blocking his path.

"I'm searching for Lady Amora and Lady Lorelei, Where are they?"

"We don't know," one of the men said and then screamed as the beast slammed its foot down causing the ground to quake. "Odin save us, I didn't ask for this sort of fight!"

"Cowards," Loki barked and turned his horse to let them defend themselves. He ran through the waves of troops that were coming out of various underground tunnels and heard the shout of Fandrel amongst the yelling. Riding over to where the voice came from Loki found the man trying to help some of, what Loki now assumed to be, King Batukhan's troops in pulling down the beast to get at its weaker points.

"Heave! Once more Lads, it's starting to slip." Fandrel shouted and saw Loki. "We could use some of your magic about now."

"It won't work on this one, too large for just one of my spells," he didn't want to add he had expended quite a bit of magic before with the second monster. Loki sent a few projectiles at the beast's back legs to keep it occupied as the men pulled harder. More were clambering up on top and Loki wondered if any of this would work. "Where are Lady Amora and Lorelei?"

"Last I saw Lorelei was with Volstagg, I don't know where her sister is!" Fandrel screamed above the clamor of roars and cries from the behemoth. "He was near the back of the body trying to get the thing to be pulled back into the woods. Lorelei was saying something about a force field."

Loki gave a short nod and yanked Thor's horse to head towards the back of the assault on the beast. He dodged falling chunks of ice that came off the top of the monster's back. _You better be right about where they are Fandrel, or else I'm going to feed you to this thing._

He thanked the ones above when he saw Volstagg's bright hair among the multitude of gold haired light elves and black clad warriors. Running to him Loki noticed a flash of green beside the white clad sorceress and pulled the stallion to where Volstagg was chopping at the creature's leg with an axe.

"I need the Enchantress and her sister!" he told Volstagg. The man didn't even look up from his attack and kept swinging as he said.

"Take them Loki, not much good they're doing back here."

"I shall strive to make them work harder then," he told Volstagg and called to Amora and Lorelei who were both using spells to cause the creature to focus away from its legs. Amora looked up first as Loki shouted, "I have an idea, but I need your help."

Lorelei looked to Amora to see if her sister agreed, "Better than staying back here!"

"Can you take us both?" Amora asked as Loki helped her up and then she helped up her sister onto the horse.

"We'll see," was all Loki could say as he kicked the stallion and it raced forward, past the falling warriors and archers who were now swarming the beast like angry bees. Pulling up near the gate, Loki dismounted along with Amora and Lorelei. He slapped the horse to send it running away and then looked to the two women. "We're going to create a wave and send the beast backwards."

"Will it work?" Lorelei asked him tenuously and Loki glared at the beast.

"It will have to, or else that monster will crush this city and us with it."

Loki concentrated and cast a spell on the ground Amora and Lorelei followed suit. Like a trio of dancers they built up the ground creating wave after rolling wave. Thor from atop could see the action below and called to the others.

"Abandon your post!" Sif and Balder glanced up and saw what was coming. They slid off the monster calling to the others to abandon their stations and the warriors and elves followed running from the wave that was coming. Loki kept thinking of the darkest things he could to fuel the anger in him as a means of building up energy. The times his brother got approval while he was told his tricks were just funny little games, the smug look on some of the archers when he was first learning to fire a bow, and more recently Theoric and his attitude about Sigyn. It all helped him pull the snow up with the Enchantress and Lorelei.

The monster fought back slashing at the wall, but Loki did not detour from his task. The Army was now hurtling weapons and rockets to push it back. Those without throw able weapons were throwing snow balls and ice at the creature, distracting it for them. Loki grinned, he thought of the creature as Theoric and how lovely it would be to push him back like this. Loki could see that the monster was now struggling to keep a grip on the ground. If everything worked right they could trap it and find out what it was.

He could hear cheers behind them as Lorelei shouted, "It's working! We're really doing it!"

"Don't stop now, and keep concentrating," Amora barked at her sister. Loki looked ahead, only a bit farther and there was a drop that lead down into the forest below on the side of Gundersheim, he was sure that they could knock it over the ledge.

"Just a bit farther you disgusting monstrosity and we will have you," he murmured to it. However a scream from Lorelei broke his happy thoughts and he gawked, "What is that!"

Behind the beast rose what looked like some sort of energy net and Loki saw sparks hit the beast. When they touched its skin it hissed and smoked. Loki knew then that if they let the monster touch it the beast would be killed and they would probably have nothing to work with. He pulled back on the spell, Lorelei followed but he saw Amora keep pushing.

"Amora we need it alive!" he yelled at her and she shot him a heated glare.

"It's ruined my reputation; it can just go to hell!"

Before Loki could stop her Amora sent a blast into the wall, sending it flying at the monster. In one instant Loki saw the creature scream and slam into the strange net, in the next it explode and disintegrate into ash that fell like snow. Behind him he could hear the roar of the crowd as they made their way to them. Loki looked at Amora; she smugly smiled at him, and then walked over to join the others. He looked back at where the net had been, now vanished, and scowled as he turned to meet Balder and Volstagg who hurried to pat his back.

"Brilliant plan Loki!" the younger man said. "That was amazing back there."

"I need to talk to Thor," Loki intoned in a serious voice. Volstagg gave him a puzzled look as he added, "We may have a problem with the Enchantress. I think she's hiding something from us."

"Hiding something, like what?" Volstagg asked as Loki quickened his pace.

"I don't know, but I know what I saw, and I know what I heard. She said that thing ruined her reputation, and she had every intention of killing it so I couldn't study it."


	12. Chapter 12: Range Practice

_**A/N: So I had to split this chapter into two. This is the shorter half of it, the longer one is 13. Thank you all for your reviews. Sorry this takes so long but it builds into certain relationships that will be important later in the story. **_

_**Copyright: Marvel comics owns Thor and his cast of thousands. **_

The cold wind snapped through her hair as Sigyn took aim at the target. The dead quiet of the archery field gave her time to concentrate. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the bulls eye, her right arm pulled back on the arrow, string taught, she aimed and released. The arrow flew, but wobbled and she winced looking at her wrist. It still hurt, but she needed to practice, the longer she didn't the more of her skill would diminish. She saw the arrow had landed just short of the target, and she cursed, pulled another arrow from the quiver that leaned on the stand next to her. Rolling her shoulder she forced her wrist straight and gritted her teeth through the pain. This time it flew straight, but still off center.

Cursing she got another and knocked it. Sigyn fired again, and again, and again. Each time the pain coursed through her arm and to her shoulder, but she didn't stop. She was on her fifteenth shot when someone came onto the field behind her and Sigyn clucked her tongue, pulling the arrow back.

"If you're here on a request from my Mother, then you can just turn back and leave this minute." Sigyn told the intruder and fired again. She scowled when it was off center again and picked up the sixteenth. The intruder moved over to her side and she could see that it was Theoric, as she had suspected.

"I didn't come here on her request," He leaned on a wooden crate that was used as a block to create stalls for the archers, crossed his arms and watched her fire again. The arrow wobbled once more and she reached down to grab another only for him to stop her mid grab. "Don't you think you're pushing it?"

Sigyn yanked her hand away, a look of pain flitted in her eyes and she cradled her wrist before taking the arrow again. Theoric gave her a stern look.

"Clearly you don't care about what happens to that wrist of yours."

"I do actually," Sigyn told him firing another shot and pausing then to talk to him. "I care if I can actually use it. You know very well that come spring the archery competition will happen."

"Aye, as part of the ceremonies," Theroric resting his arms behind him, letting his weight settle. "Sigyn, you're not thinking of entering, are you?"

"I am Actually, I'll be old enough for it," she said and took up her seventeenth shot. Theoric scowled.

"What for? You know that there will be a lot of archers, mostly male…"

"You included," she said, Theoric gave her a sideways smile.

"Aye, me included," he shifted as she shot again, hitting the ground. "Why are you straining yourself for this?"

"Because once the snow comes I will be returning home, and then I can't get in the practice." Sigyn told him. Theoric watched her knock another arrow, holding it down, she spoke. "So why did you come here?"

"Because I was worried," Theoric told her honestly and pulled himself into a sitting position on the crate. "Lady Idunn told me you come here a lot, and she's concerned, given the season change, you'll get a cold."

Sigyn took aim again, "I know, but I'll suffer the cold and the rain, or whatever else is thrown at me to get what I want."

"What do you want," Theoric asked as she fired. The arrow hit just above the bulls eye. She looked at him directly.

"I want the prize of course."

Theoric raised his eyebrow and laughed.

"The money, what would you want with money?"

"Not the money," Sigyn dismissed and propped herself against the other crate looking off in the distance at the palace. "I want the opportunity to go into the palace for the dinner."

"You mean the event the evening before the Ceremony of Age?" Theoric inquired and she nodded. He furrowed his brow, "But why? You can go in at any time with your Mother."

"Think about what you just said," Sigyn pointed out and Theoric tapped his chin. "I'd have to go in with my Mother, and she would tell the guards where I could or could not go."

Theoric laughed softly, "Very clever. Win the prize and get to wander the halls unattended, but what for Sigyn?"

"There's something in there that I want to find." She got up and went to retrieve another arrow. Theoric bent down and got it for her. Taking it Sigyn aimed it at the bulls eye and gritted her teeth. "There's something in there that I _need_ to find."

"You need to find it? What is it?" He asked curiously and she fired, watched the arrow sail through the air and picked up another when it went just beyond the target.

"Something that's important to me, and only to me," she said pulling back the arrow. Theoric got up and went behind her. He lifted and straightened her arm then pushed in her back forcing her straight. It was painful but when Sigyn let the arrow fly it was closer to the bulls eye. She looked at him curiously.

"If it's important to you, then I'll help you get what you want," he smiled and she nodded. "Would you like to take a break, I did bring some food with me."

Theoric pulled some wrapped sandwiches out of his cloak and hot apple cider. Sigyn followed him into the wooden stalls away from the cold, where royals watched from. Sitting on a chair, Sigyn took a big bite of the sandwich then drank the cider. Wiping her lip she asked, "I haven't seen a lot of the Hawks."

"Missions," he told her. "I wish I could go with them."

"Why?" Sigyn asked curiously. "Don't you like staying here? Syn's in the palace now."

"Aye, but her eyes are on the fops that have money," Theoric said pointedly and Sigyn gave a nod. Her sister had never really appreciated Theoric all that much.

"Well, if I was old enough, I would certainly go out with you Theoric."

He glanced at her, then laughed and rubbed her hair. Sigyn giggled with him and Theoric grinned. "Oh, you wouldn't prefer the looks and courting of a certain dark haired prince?"

Sigyn set down her sandwich, "You mean Prince Loki?"

"Well people say that you were seen talking to him before he left," Theoric mentioned somberly before biting into his meal. "And there's what I saw in the garden that day."

"What you saw, was him teasing me, nothing more Theoric," Sigyn corrected him. "Besides, he came over with Lady Amora and clearly prefers the company of her to someone like me, no doubt."

"He was with Lady Amora?" Theoric blinked, "The Enchantress? Whatever for?"

"Because they were talking, I don't know," Sigyn told him directly and scowled at her sandwich, thinking about how the girl had called her little, or for that matter the way Loki had had her on his lap, made her stomach hurt. She tried to not think about it, "He said something about matters that he had to deal with."

Theoric looked out at the range as if debating something then tapped her shoulder, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Aye," she replied. Given the secrets she was already keeping it couldn't be that much harder to keep another. "What sort?"

"Well, my commander told me that the Princes went to help Lord Frey with matters in the Skornhiem Mountains. Apparently there's been some big fighting over there, and they may have asked the young Lords as a means of acting as a covert operation to take down whatever was causing the fighting over there."

Sigyn looked confused, "Take down what fighting?"

"The war between the one called Mongol and the King there. Lord Odin, I hear, fears that if Mongol were to succeed in breaching the walls to the city, then some very important treasure would be lost. I'm sure that he wants the Princes to find the treasure and bring it back here as a means of keeping it safe, and more likely having a means of keeping the King from trying to come after Asgard."

"But that makes no sense; going after Asgard would be foolish. It's too well protected." Sigyn told him and Theoric gave her a slow nod.

"Aye, I agree with you, but we don't know what powers the King has, and the All-Father simply wants to keep the people safe." Theoric explained. Sigyn looked at her last bit of sandwich, munched on it before taking a long drink of her cider.

"When do you think they will be back?"

"Don't know, when they can, I suppose. Though don't believe they will be back before the first snow falls." Theoric told her getting up. He bowed and smiled, "I guess you'll be getting back to your practice?"

"Yes," Sigyn hopped over the stall to the ground with her good hand. Landing on the crunchy grass, "I'll suppose you'll be waiting for me inside to walk me back to Idunn's?"

"Aye, that was the plan," he waved at her as he climbed down the steps and headed inside. Sigyn watched him go, turned back to the range and went back into her stall. She picked up an arrow, aimed carefully, and fired again, her mind dwelling on what Loki promised.

_ You said you wouldn't be gone to long Prince Loki, I hope you do make it back before the late autumn comes_, Sigyn watched the arrow fly, wondering to herself why she cared if she saw him or not, and assumed it was just to be sure he was safe.


	13. Chapter 13: Puzzles and Twists

_**A/N: Sorry about the length of this one. It took me forever to figure out how to get all this information, please forgive the length of this section. Thank you all so much for the compliments and reviews. **_

_**Copyright: Thor and all members of his cast is owned and created by Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby, Roy Thompson, and John Buscame.**_

* * *

The arrow cracked the dry dead wood of the black stump that he was using for target practice. Loki pulled another from his quiver and knocked it. He needed to think and right now this was the best way to puzzle out what he'd just learned in a few short hours. He let the arrows fly punctuating his thoughts.

_One, Lord Frey has been keeping close with the king and clearly that can only lead to him possibly making alliances that Father may not want. Two, Amora's secrets are putting her in way too deep for her own good. Three, the King is hiding something from everyone. _

He set his bow down and admired at his handiwork. Two out of three bulls eyes wasn't bad, given how tired he was, but Loki still felt he could have done better. Walking over to the dead tree he pried out the arrow thinking over his meetings, first with Lord Frey then with Amora.

* * *

"I don't know, but I know what I saw, and I know what I heard. She said that thing ruined her reputation, and she had every intention of killing it so I couldn't study it," Loki had told Volstagg and Balder as the trio walked after the crowd that was cheering Amora and Lorelei.

"Are you certain of this Loki," Balder said quietly, "That is a rather serious accusation there, you know."

"Why would she want to kill it?" Volstagg asked as Loki spotted Thor, who waved them over.

"I don't know, as I said, but I intend to find out." Loki muttered as his brother, Sif and Fandrel came over to them. Thor gave Loki a quick hug and patted his shoulder.

"Loki, you astound me at times," Thor beamed proudly at him, Loki didn't return the smile. "Not pleased with your work, Brother?"

"Not pleased with Lady Amora's," Balder said and Sif glanced over to the crowd.

"She's enjoying the attention, that's for sure."

"Yes, but that's to be expected I assume," Fandrel commented, Thor followed his gaze to see Amora try to give Tyr a hug, but he waved her off.

"It seems our cousin may not be as bewitched as we thought. Tell me, Loki; did something happen when you were working with her?"

Loki crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "She said that the beast ruined her reputation, but how is that possible given the fact that she told us earlier that she had no idea what they were."

"I see your point," Thor considered and Sif thinned her lips.

"Could it have been that she felt they ruined it by breaking through her force field?"

"Then why did she say it was her reputation? I don't think having unknown monsters breaking through a first time generated field would cause that much of a drop in how others view her." Fandrel stroked his gotee.

"Maybe she felt that it ruined how she appeared as a sorcerer," Balder suggested, Loki pursed his lips.

"Yes but why?" He was about to comment on the fact that she had defied his orders when a male light elf, dressed in gold and black armor, came over. His face was set in a stern gaze as he bowed to Thor then Loki and snapped to attention.

"Lord Frey requests the presence of Prince Thor and Prince Loki in his tent. I am Nari; I am to escort you there without delay."

Thor gave a light shrug as he and Loki were ushered away from the group. They headed down past the main entrance to the city and towards a rolling hill side that dropped into a valley where the light elves were patching the wounded warriors of both sides. Loki searched the wounded they passed to see if he recognized any faces from when he had sought out Amora and Lorelei, as Thor inquired from Nari.

"Can you tell us, Nari, what it is Lord Frey wishes to see us about?"

"I know not, Sire, only that I am to bring you there," the elf said in his serious tone. Loki studied him, from behind the elf looked rather young.

"How old are you?"

"I am one hundred and seventeen years of age," the elf looked back. "Though what is it of your concern?"

Loki waved his hands, "None at all, Just curious about how someone so young could be with the warriors."

"We begin our training when we are twenty five years, which is young for our society." Nari told him and Loki nodded. Thor leaned over and spoke quietly.

"Brother, what was it you were about to say back there?"

"Regarding what," Loki intoned keeping his eyes forward and then muttered a spell so that Nari couldn't hear them properly, light elves were known for their excellent hearing and he didn't want Frey to know he suspected one of his team members of possible conspiracy.

"Amora, you have suspicions against her?" Thor bluntly stated and Loki nodded.

"She disobeyed me when I told her I wanted to keep it alive to study it. That way we could find out what it was, how it was made, and how to get rid of it faster. I don't think you want to go flying off your horse again."

"Well to be honest it was a bit fun," the Thunder God chuckled and Loki gave him a fixed stare, Thor grew serious, "Regardless, I can see why you have your doubts. But you know as well as I do, Amora is a stubborn woman."

"Yes, but if her stubbornness gets us killed…" he stopped when Nari halted before a tent and turned to face them, bowing.

"Lord Frey is inside here. I shall gather your allies and escort them to their tents."

Thor smiled to Nari, "Can you make sure that Lady Sif gets the best tent."

Nari looked at him slightly confused and Loki quirked an eyebrow as Thor swiftly continued, "Well she did win the race."

"She was thrown." Loki stated and Thor crossed his arms.

"She was there first before she was thrown, Loki."

"Aye, yes, I know," Loki waved it off before he pushed aside the tent flap and went in not waiting for Thor. Inside he was not surprised to see a mired of various throw rugs, pillows, furs, several small chairs and other amenities that a god like Frey would ask for. In the center of the tent was a pit with a fire in it to keep it warm; around the walls were maps and drawings of different sorts. Thor joined Loki a moment later and whistled.

"Lord Frey seems to like to camp in style."

"Too much so if you ask me," Loki sat down on a chair near the fire. He crossed his legs and folded his hands. "When do you think he'll show up?"

"When he feels like it," Frey's booming voice came from the back of the tent and he raised head from the pile of furs in the back. Loki stood up and bowed with Thor as the man came over. His arms, neck and some of his chest were bandaged, but his tanned face showed no pain. Frey looked at the two and clapped them both on the shoulders. "Thor, Loki, it is good to see both of you."

"As it is to see you Lord Frey," Thor said to the larger muscular man. Loki gave Frey a once over, the last time he'd seen him the god had been getting married and looked nothing like the disheveled being before him. Frey's brown curly hair was a wild mess of tangles, he'd grown a stubbly beard around the mustache that he normally kept clipped and straight, and his clothing was a mix of winter fur leggings and the bottom piece of his armor plating. Loki nodded following Thor's greeting and Frey motioned for them to sit.

"Many of my men owe you their lives on this day sons of Odin. I am glad that the All-Father sent you here to us." Frey told them as he sat across from them. Loki leaned back as Thor took a drink from some warmed milk that was set out for them.

"As we are glad to have helped them," Thor said in a kind and serious tone. Loki nodded and inquired then.

"May we ask exactly why you have need of us? Lord Tyr gave us some of the details but not all."

"Ah, Tyr," Frey explained in a melancholy tone. "His head and heart were in the right place, but no more it seems."

"What do you mean?" Thor inquired; Frey sat back some folding his hands.

"During the first battle one of my warriors, an elf called Adilya, was injured badly. She lays unconscious in the tent. Since Tyr first came to meet me in Alfheim those two were never separated until that battle. Lord Tyr blames himself for not being there to protect her." Frey looked at Thor. "Originally we intended to have Tyr choose a group to take out the one that we believe is causing this trouble when we found him. However given the circumstances, I believed it was a safer bet to have you and your allies deal with it. I fear that Tyr may kill the man and we want him alive."

"Understandable," Loki said softly and Thor nodded, though he looked a bit upset that this plan was clearly happening under Tyr's nose.

"And what of Lord Tyr, what shall he be doing while we deal with this person?"

Frey stroked his stubble covered chin and stood up, "He will be hunting down the source of the monsters."

"You believe there is a source of those beasts," Loki sat up and listened keenly to the man. Frey pulled a map from the cloth wall, brought it over and laid it before Thor and Loki. He took a burnt piece of wood and circled a point.

"There! That is where the trouble comes from, and that is where we believe Mongol the Mystic resides."

Thor and Loki looked at one another then at the paper as Loki commented, "Surely you jest Lord Frey, that's Mystic Mountain, and we just passed the path to there when we were coming to the city."

"Aye, it's right beyond the forest mountains," Frey tapped the spot. "We don't know how he's carrying it out, but the King is certain that it's him."

"And how does he know for sure?" Thor was not keen on raiding another man's land should the intelligence that was gathered be false. Loki looked to Frey to see how the other man answered this question.

"We don't, that's part of the problem," he leaned on the back of his chair as he considered them. "King Batukhan has stated that he believes the attacks are coming from Mongol, a man that has been menacing his people for years. He will not tell us who this man is, or why he is doing this. Only that he is certain it is him and that he resides in the Mystic Mountain."

"So you want us to raid this man's home, just because the King claims that he is the culprit?" Thor asked and sat back. "I do not like this idea at all Lord Frey. It's one thing if we had solid proof that they attacked, it's another for us to do so without being certain of his guilt."

"Aye, I agree Thor," Frey said and stared at the two young men before him. "However we can't wait too long to figure this out, those monsters keep attacking and the city is in danger. If the King is killed…"

Thor nodded slowly understanding, Loki focused on the fire as it burned. He knew too what the implication was, without a king this Mongol could swoop in and take the kingdom and possibly ally with the Frost Giants, or the Dark elves, either case could be bad and a war could break out. Loki sat back, "What of Amora and Lorelei? Shouldn't their fields be stopping the creatures?"

"Aye, we thought that they would be," Frey scowled. "But it seems that the monsters have some way of breaking through them."

The discussion turned lighter then as Frey inquired about the health of Lady Frigga, his cousin and their mother. Thor and Loki stayed for a while after until a healer came in and informed them that Lord Frey was going to need to rest, and the two took their leave without question. Nari was waiting outside when they exited and bowed.

"I shall show you to your tents," he said and Loki and Thor followed him down past the troop's tents and well away from most of the others. Here they found tents flying the banners of Asgard, and Loki saw that Tyr, Amora, and Lorelei's were set here as well. Sif and Fandrel walked over to them, Fandrel looking like a cat that just ate a canary.

"You are not going to believe the nice set up we have."

"Seeing Lord Frey's tent, I'm sure it's quite comfortable," Thor grinned. Loki spotted Amora sitting outside her tent sipping a hot drink. Excusing himself he made for Amora who saw him coming and tried to duck inside her tent. Loki followed without even stopping to get permission to enter. She glared at him crossing her arms.

"Shouldn't you knock before you enter a lady's chamber?" She pulled her shawl over her shoulders giving him a sour look.

"There are no doors to knock on," he waved his hand and bit his tongue from adding 'and you are no lady'. He needed her to be kind to him, and the best way to do that was to compliment and coax her. Loki walked over and played with a lock of gold hair as he spoke. "You seemed to have destroyed my chance at examining that creature, Amora. Why was that?"

She smirked at him and sipped, then held it up to Loki who waved it off. Shrugging Amora slipped her hair from his fingers and sat down.

"Now why should I tell you that?"

"Because, I think you were angry about something and didn't want me to learn about it," Loki leaned over the arms of the chair which she sat in. He looked into her green eyes and she quirked her lips to him.

"Oh? And what should I be angry about?"

"Your reputation as a magic user," he grinned and she frowned.

"What of it?" Amora tried to get up and he pushed her down smiling sweetly.

"Come now, why the rush to leave."

"I have other things to do, and I don't want you in here," she said, Loki studied her expression, laughed and cupped her cheek.

"You had no problem with me visiting the other night Amora." She batted his hand away and sneered.

"That was different."

"How so?" he inquired and she took a long slug of her drink before answering.

"You weren't you."

"Fair enough," he crossed his arms. "Would you rather tell not me then?"

Amora gazed at her bed and grinned, "Only if you'll let me go farther this time."

Loki took a step back at this narrowing his eyes and she rose from her seat walking over to him, resting a hand on his chest, "What's wrong? Don't like what I'm implying. You weren't a bad kisser I'll say that much. So why pull back that night?"

"Because I'm not interested in _that_ for kicks, Amora," he said seriously and she pouted. In a moment Amora was no more, and in her place stood Sigyn, only older and bustier. Loki balled his fist at his side and closed his eyes breathing slowly. "You're testing my nerves woman."

The fake Sigyn sauntered over and reached up to touch his hair, "You're nerves are worn enough, Prince Loki. Shouldn't you like to rest with me?"

He gave her a hard shove and Amora laughed in her normal voice, "So you are sweet on the girl. Interesting Loki, well I suppose for that I could give you something in turn."

"One question then?" he asked and she transformed back and held up her finger.

"Just one, and make it good, or you won't have any answers."

Loki thought and slowly walked around her talking, "Alright, let's assume a few things. Let's assume, just for the moment that when you came here on this quest you wandered out of this camp on your own."

"And, if I did, what of it?" Amora smirked at him as Loki glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips. Amora tilted her head watching him cautiously as he moved around her like a shark waiting on its prey to try and escape.

"So you admit you did then," he chuckled and Amora scowled.

"As I said, so what if I did. Why does that matter?"

"Oh I think it does," Loki said softly to her and she crossed her arms. "You see Amora, if you left the camp there's only two ways to travel. You have to take the trail that passes by the path to Mystic Mountain, and let's face it; neither of us would really want to pass up the opportunity to look into such a legendary place. We studied the same books, as you recall, I know about how the crystals in the caverns there can enhance ones powers. So then, you probably were asked to create a field to protect the city. No doubt you realized too late that even your power wasn't that strong, we both have a long way to go. So you went looking for something to help you. I think you found something Amora, only when you tried to use it…it back fired and somehow that back firing caused the monsters to become immune to your magic."

Amora gawped at him then closed her mouth. He had her, he knew he did but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Amora snapped her fingers and looked at her nails.

"Is that all? And how do you know any of these wild stories is true."

"Because of what you told me before," Loki said standing toe to toe with the woman. "You said you didn't know about the creatures, yet you just shouted that you wanted them to pay for ruining your reputation. Now why would someone like _you_ worry about that, unless you got scared that someone like me could see that it wasn't some sort of ancient magic that was causing issues with the monsters, but your own that had given them immunity to your spells."

Amora shifted and pulled her shawl up to her shoulders, she scowled at him as her fingers tightened around the cloth. Loki gave her a smug grin, "I'm right aren't I?"

"Is that your question?" she asked and he gave her a shrug. Amora flounced over to her chair and sat again. After a moment she looked up and said a blunt. "Yes."

"Yes?" He inquired and stood before her hands behind his back.

"Yes, you are correct. Mostly," she replied and rubbed her arms. Loki stood there waiting and Amora smirked. "I told you one question."

"Oh but you can't just leave off with that Amora, come now, you know you want to tell me." Loki said in his most charming manner. Amora quirked an eyebrow and leaned back.

"Alright I'll tell you one more thing, but your silence about it is the price."

"Of course," he bowed and tapped his foot impatiently as she poured another drink for herself. Amora smiled at him sipping slowly and Loki was sure she was drawing this out for effect.

"You were right that I snuck out, and that I did investigate the path. But I didn't touch any of the crystals on the walls, I couldn't," she explained and Loki looked at her confused.

"Couldn't?"

"No, I could not," Amora beheld at her cup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. She lifted her eyes to Loki smirking, "You see when I was there I ran into a villager. He showed me a stone and when I touched it, I got hit with something. The next thing I knew I was waking up at the base camp with Lord Tyr and his friend watching over me. I can't tell you more than that."

"But you didn't tell them about the villager or the stone?" Loki questioned and Amora shrugged, "why?"

"We weren't supposed to leave the camp, I was already in trouble for that fact, adding to it by saying I may have had some magic taken from me would have only caused a panic." Amora told him. "Besides with you here, I can change my field and they won't come in then."

"Do you honestly think…" Loki started when Tyr and Thor came in. He bowed to her quickly stating. "Thank you for the discussion Lady Amora."

"My pleasure Prince Loki," Amora lowered her eyes and smirked as he turned to leave. Tyr stopped him and gripped his shoulder hard.

"What were you doing in here with Amora?"

Loki raised an eyebrow and looked at Amora, "You should ask her, though I don't think a Lady should kiss and tell."

Thor pulled Tyr's hand off his shoulder and Loki retreated, his brother following him looking stern as they made their way for their tents. Thor said nothing until they were well away from Amora's tent and Loki gave him a calm smile.

"Are you concerned for my wellbeing brother?"

"Certainly given your friendliness with the Enchantress," Thor told him as Loki lead him inside his own tent. The light elves had kindly set up a case with books and scrolls for him to read, a simple cot bed, a table and fire pit to keep the tent warm at night. Loki took a seat on the cot while Thor sat in the chair that was beside a table and drummed his fingers against the heavy wood.

"Brother, I have no interest in that woman," Loki said plainly and Thor gave him a hard stare. Loki laughed, "She's a good informant though."

"Why?"

"Well I know now why the beasts keep getting though, and how to cancel that," he wanted to avoid too many questions and stretched. "How about you, any luck with Tyr regarding the King?"

"Nay, he's as tight lipped as ever," Thor shook his head, "Though he was more forth coming about someone that we can talk with and about his lady."

"Aye, the elf," Loki leaned forward slightly. "What of her? Is she well?"

"As well as can be expected," Thor said somberly and Loki gave a nod. "They believe she will wake, but she needs to go back to Alfheim and Tyr is afraid of letting her travel."

"Given what happened today I can see his reasons," Loki folded his hands. "So who is this person we can talk to?"

"His name is Hogan, he doesn't talk much, but apparently his parents are the King's best warriors. According to Tyr he's probably going to one day be head of Batukhan's forces. He's strong, swift and knows this region better than any of the other warriors." Thor told him and looked pleased. "But now back to the Enchantress."

Loki groaned, pulled his legs up to sit cross legged on the bed. He rested his hands on his knees and gave Thor a smart look, "Why are we back on her again."

"Loki, it's just that she," Thor carefully selected his words as he regarded at his brother with a worried light to his blue eyes. "I'm concerned that she will hurt you."

"How, exactly, Brother," Loki asked, slightly surprised by Thor's concern for him. He knew that there had been some contention between Amora and Thor for a long while, even after the trick she played a while back. But that was just childish pranks, he wondered if there was something more going on there. "Did something happen between the two of you?"

Thor sat back, crossing his arms across his chest and nodded once. Loki raised an eyebrow as Thor said, "She's devious Loki. She'll use her wiles to get something from you, and in your case I have no doubt it would be your magic."

"What makes you think she's going to try to take my magic? Or for that matter why are you so worried about it?" he gazed at Thor, got up to go over to look out around the grounds to make sure there was no one spying on them. Closing it he faced his brother waiting for an answer. Thor tapped his finger on the wood.

"Last year she came to me to talk at the practice range. I assumed she was flirting for fun, but then things changed. She insisted I tell her about where you learned your magic, and about how to gain more power," Thor looked up at him his eyes flashing angrily. "When I denied her this, she became angry and she cast a spell on me. I couldn't think for myself, and wound up going with her to your room. If not for Balder and Fandrel coming upon us waking me up, I fear that she may have held me in her sway for as long as possible."

Loki looked disturbed, "What did she want in my room."

"I'm not certain, but whatever it was she insisted upon it," Thor told him and Loki leaned against a wood post that held the tent up. He scowled; there were things in his room that he wanted no one knowing of, especially his brother. He looked at Thor and asked quickly.

"Did she mention anything that could be useful? A spell, a term, something?"

"Nay, that time is cloudy brother, I am sorry," Thor told him and Loki exhaled slowly his anger worked up. "This is why I do not think being around her is a good thing for you."

"I understand Thor," Loki responded darkly, wild thoughts of how he was going to make her suffer for daring to trespass in his chamber spun in his head. "I think it's best if we drop discussing about her for now."

"Aye," Thor said with a quick nod and rose to leave. He put a hand on Loki's shoulder and the younger man glanced up at Thor with a kind look, patting his brother's hand once.

"I am alright, truly. Just give me time to brood."

"If you must, but when you are done, join us for some entertainment brother. I hear we are going to go to the castle and meet the King this evening." Thor told him and Loki gave a slow considerate nod. The blonde gave his shoulder one more pat before he departed and Loki moved to sit in the chair. He put his feet up on the table, after removing his boots, and sucked in air through his teeth. Covering his eyes for a moment he found his mind troubled. Nothing was adding up. The beasts attacking, Amora's story, the fact that this Mongol was going out of his way to menace a small insignificant city, it all made no sense if the whole thing was a fight between rulers.

_If it was a fight between rulers…what if it's not though_, he wondered and sat up just as Nari came in and bowed to him. Loki stood and gave a curt nod to the elf.

"My Lord Prince Loki, Lord Frey wishes for you to accompany your allies and your brother to dine with King Batukhan. I shall wait for you outside to prepare."

"Of course, I thank Lord Frey for his most gracious offer," Loki told the elf, as he bowed and stepped out. Going over to the water basin he washed his face and neck, splashing some cold water in his hair he glanced out of a small hole in the tent made to act as a window and saw Amora walk out of Lorelei's tent in a hurry. She was draped in furs, and the crown was off her head. Loki wondered if she was trying to impress someone with the jewels she was wearing. He thought it was a bit odd that she would go to these lengths to stand out, though he considered the fact that Thor was going to be there and simply let it pass.

Grabbing his cloak he headed out to find Nari waiting for him. The elf warrior bowed and led him toward where the others were waiting. Sif gave a short nod and motioned with her eyes to Amora who was now on Tyr's arm. She giggled and looked at Loki with a shy sort of smirk.

"She's acting happier, I see," Sif said quietly to him and Loki nodded.

"Aye, far better than on the battle field, I assure you," He turned to face Sif who was also dressed up and he caught himself thinking back to when they were children and he had a crush on her. A small smile slipped on his lips, which quickly vanished when he heard Amora laugh loudly.

"Thor mentioned you spoke with her," Sif eyes trained upon the Enchantress. "Is there something we need to know Loki?"

"Not as of yet, though I'm trying to see what she is up to," he muttered and found the whole thing disconcerting._ Amora's never this happy, or that direct, come to think of it,_ Loki thought to himself as he whispered to Sif. "So where's my brother?"

"Talking to Fandrel, Balder and Volstagg about something Tyr said to him."

"Oh?" Loki inquired curiously then felt a tad disappointed when he learned it was just about Tyr's girlfriend. He shrugged and took Sif's arm when Nari motioned them to follow. Sif gave him a surprised look, but allowed him to escort her as he muttered. "Where's Lady Lorelei, I haven't seen her since earlier."

"Nor have I," Sif nodded to some elves that she had fought with earlier. "According to Amora she's not feeling good."

"I wouldn't think she would let a cold make her miss a party," Loki smirked and Sif shrugged.

"Nor would I, Loki, but apparently she is," Sif pulled her arm away as soon as she could when they arrived inside the city proper. Here each member of the group going in was escorted by a lady of the court of the King. Loki had to stare at their long straight dresses of bright red; each had different details embroidered into them with gold silk thread that seemed to move as they walked. Loki's eyes drifted to the woman's shoulder where a crane was flying over and over from a pool of water into the sky.

"Prince Loki, it is an honor to meet you," the woman said as they walked to the palace. He glanced at her smiling face and gave a charming smile. "I hear we have you to thank for the city not being destroyed?"

"Well it was quite a bit of work," he smirked to her. Taking the credit from Amora and Lorelei wasn't as hard as he thought. "You seem to know my name but I don't know yours."

"Fong-lee," the girl blush. "I am one of the servers at tonight's feast. The king is excited to meet you and Prince Thor, he has heard much about you two from Lords Tyr and Frey."

"He has, tell me what has he heard?" Loki stroked her hand some. Fong-lee laughed.

"I cannot say; the role of the server is to observe but never reveal."

"A shame, it would have been nice to know what he thought," Loki smiled and inquired. "And what of you, what do you think of us?"

"I think you're both very noble warriors that we owe our lives to," she giggled and beamed at him. Loki grinned pleased with this response then felt his ego drop some when she added. "And I think that if I compliment you too much my fiancé will be rather annoyed with me."

"Your fiancé?" Loki glanced over his shoulder to see a stern looking warrior with a long beard giving him the evil eye. He smirked at him and then leaned in to whisper to her, "Seems the jealous sort."

"Yes but don't make him too jealous," Fong-lee giggled as the parade made their way through the main street. Loki looked around at the bright decorations that hung from lamp posts, holding large lanterns ablaze with bright fires to light the cold twilight. The streets were filled with stalls of all sorts: crafts of wood, metal, and stoneware intermixed with sellers offering food and silk clothing. There were jade jewelry and spices sold in special pots, rice beside a fan maker, and various odds and ends. If this had been a pleasure trip Loki would have gladly wandered these streets for hours seeking out rare magical artifacts and items. However this was not such a trip and the group was soon guided up the steps of the imperial palace. Here his escort departed and Lord Frey turned to them saying.

"I'm sure you're all hungry, the King has a feast waiting for us, however one thing to remember, do follow his actions as it shows good taste to let him take the first bite of food."

"Strange custom," Loki intoned to Thor and smirked, "Do you think Volstagg will have the ability to do that?"

"I'm sure he will brother," Thor whispered back, "Though it may be difficult at first."

Loki laughed behind his hand as three warriors appeared before them, two male one female. All three were dressed in familiar black garb with fur trim; the difference though was that the older looking male, who had a mustache and beard, and the female, had dark blue cloaks over their shoulders. The man in the center was younger and clean shaven, but had features that matched that of the woman and man with him. Frey walked over to the older man and greeted him with a bow.

"It is good to see you Nassor, and you as well Valda," Frey bowed in return to them and motioned to Thor and Loki. "Princes Thor and Loki Odinson, this is Hogan, son of Nassor and Valda. He's going to assist you on your mission."

Loki and Thor bowed to Hogan who had bowed to them first, without a word. Loki took a look at the boy as he stood. He seemed to be about the same age as Thor, taller than Fandrel in height, with sharp blue eyes and a sever look to his face. Hogan narrowed his gaze at the Trickster and Loki quirked an eyebrow.

"It is a pleasure to meet both of you," Nassor said to them as Valda motioned to the group.

"Please follow us." The trio of warriors led them through a set of double doors and down a long hall with a polished floor and red pillars. Long banners hung between them waving and shimmering, Loki observed the structure and decorations as they proceeded to another set of ornate double doors. Nassor and Valda opened them to reveal a large room with men and ladies dressed in finery. Three long tables were set up with mounds of food, and Loki couldn't help but gawp at the variety of fresh flowers that decorated the walls and floor. Sitting behind the third table on top of a large dais was an elderly looking man in gold and red. His gray hair was pulled up and behind a black hat that rested on his head. As thin as the man was his blue eyes were sharp and showed no sign of weakness. This, Loki assumed, had to be King Batukhan.

The three warriors stepped forward and bowed, followed by their procession, then the nobles in the hall, before the King. Batukhan bowed back and then motioned for them to rise.

"Distinguished guest," he proclaimed, "I bid you welcome. Your presence has helped our kingdom in dark times, and I am humble and grateful for the intersession of the All-Father. I offer you, in return, a feast of our best food. Should you want for anything else, do not disregard to ask."

"We thank you King Batukhan for your kindness and generosity," Frey spoke first and waved to the others beside him. "The All-Father will do all that he can to help you in your time of need King Batukhan, this is why he sent his sons Prince Thor and Prince Loki, to help with our mission."

Batukhan turned his gaze upon Loki and Thor, and Loki felt a shiver run down his spine. This man was powerful, not as much as his Father, but strong in magic and in his will. He knew he was in the presence of a god.

"Step forward Sons of Odin," the King requested and Thor and Loki moved up to kneel before the King. He peered down at them and Loki felt a pressure run down his neck. "Tell me, why you have come? For what purpose do you wish to help us?"

"Our Father decreed that we come and told us that your word is his word, what you order is what we follow." Thor told him and looked up to meet the King. Loki followed suit, as he raised his green eyes to the man's blue.

"He requested that we help you in any way that we could, that you were a just King and that your kingdom was in danger."

"Your Father is a good man, sons of Odin, and he seems to have shown mercy," Batukhan said as he looked between the brothers. Loki felt like he was trying to find something in their faces, an answer to a question not yet asked. "Tell me, had he not requested it, would you have come?"

"Aye, it is not good for a man to leave others in peril," Thor stated and the King turned his gaze to Loki.

"If the situation could not be resolved diplomatically then yes, one should not assume that the simplest explanation is the right one."

"Enlighten answer Loki Odinson," he looked to Thor, "You both have much to learn, and I feel that you both shall here in this place. I ask a favor of you. Should my city fall and this land crumble, may I have your words that my people shall be safe? Do I have your words?"

"Yes," Thor said seriously and Loki looked at him with wide eyes. "You have my word King Batukhan."

Batukhan closed his eyes and said softly, "Son of Odin, you speak well, but you cannot give all that you claim. Your words may be true but they ring hollow. Odin will allow some to enter, but like the Vanir we will be integrated, our heritage lost. We would do better to wander the lands then heed that which cannot be given by a boy."

Thor moved to rise but Loki yanked hard on his brother's cape and pulled him down._ So this is a test,_ Loki thought and kept his eyes down on the King's feet.

"True my lord King, we may not have the ability to promise you many things, but you in turn have not been honest with us," he looked up to meet the King's eyes. "You have kept much from the men that protect you. This war is not one of a simple case of domination; this is a battle between bloods, is it not?"

The king looked pleased by this, but didn't respond. Thor shifted his gaze to Loki who returned the look. They had an opening now to at least get something answered.

"If your people wish to wander that is their choice, but they would be welcomed in Asgard and treated fairly," Thor told him and Batukhan inclined his head. "If they should choose to stay we shall extend all hospitality to them as you have kindly shown us."

At this the King smiled at Thor, his age showing on his face.

"You speak well God of Thunder. Perhaps there is yet hope for these nine realms."

With that he rose and motioned for Thor and Loki to stand as well. Spreading his arms the King's voice rang out in the hall. "This day shall be marked with celebration. Soon the time shall come when there is darkness, but a bolt from above shall liberate us from that, and we shall rise again."

A chant in a language Loki had never heard before came from the nobles and the three warriors. With that the King dismissed Loki and Thor, the two heading to be seated and eat.

"What was that last bit about," Thor asked Loki when they sat down before their table and Loki furrowed his brow.

"A possible premonition he may have had, or something to rally his people. Who knows, pass the honey if you please."

During dinner Loki observed everyone's interactions. Thor kept to his friends for the most part, talking now and again to the nobles, while Tyr and Amora sat to the side seemingly wrapped up in a heated argument spoken in low tones. Then there was Lord Frey who was happily speaking with the king. It was clear to Loki that the two were close and that had him wondering just what sort of deals were being made behind his Father's back.

It was after dinner that Hogan had taken the small group on a tour of the palace. It was smaller than what Loki was accustomed to at home, but certainly just as grand. There were rooms with art work from various crafts masters, a music hall with soft pillows to sit upon, and rooms that seemed to be for tea and smaller events that could open up with the simple sliding of a pair of paper doors. The whole place felt like a giant puzzle box, and the most interesting thing was the room with the box of crystals.

Hogan had been persuaded by Volstagg to take them to the treasury room where a mired of eclectic items were kept. Loki walked around examining each piece of armor, antique art piece, and royal jewelry, his eyes never fully strayed from the box with the crystals. Walking over to it he counted four, each glittering with a strong internal energy. The set up was simple; a carved wooden box with a dragon carrying four stones in its claws was shown length wise on the box. Nested in holders and standing upright was a blue, red, white and green crystal, which was surrounded by a blanket of white silk. Loki noticed that the stones in the dragon's claws seemed to be buttons of some sort and he wondered if pressing them did anything. Reaching out tentatively touch the blue stone his wrist was grabbed by Hogan.

"Do not touch anything," the young warrior bluntly stated. Loki pulled back and righted himself from his crouched position.

"I was just curious. What are they?"

"Ancient magic born long ago," Hogan told him gruffly and gave him a push away from the box. "They are the protectors of this city."

"They," Loki looked at him curiously, "What are they?"

"They are none of your concern," Hogan brought him over to the group just outside the main doors and shut it with a loud metallic clang.

"Getting into trouble already Loki," Fandrel teased as the group finished up the tour.

"No, but now I'm starting to realize we might be fighting something that has to deal with blood," He muttered to Fandrel. It wasn't long after that the group departed from the palace. Hogan stating that if they wanted to come back and look around more in the day he would show them the city, as long as Loki didn't touch things that he wasn't supposed to. This illicted a laugh from the group, except for the intended target, and Loki gave the warrior a cool off kilter smile as they left for the night. He was not tired, so when the others had spoken about turning in Loki had decided to use the dead trees near the back as a place to shoot a few arrows.

* * *

_So what have I learned,_ he thought as he pulled the last arrow from the tree and tapped the head against his boot. _I've learned that the king has some sort of ancient possible force field that is being caused by something that is older than Father, and no doubt that he may expect the King to offer to place it in his treasury as a means of protection. I know now that Amora's playing at something, but what that is I'm not sure, and she wanted something out of my room, which means she was working with someone before. But was that connected to this, or was that someone else entirely? Lastly the King and Lord Frey are fairly close, and if they are making deals could that lead to war with Asgard? _

There were too many questions and not enough answers. Loki rubbed his brow before going back over to his spot to shoot again. Raising his bow and drawing back the string he paused just for a second to see Lorelei rush out of Amora's tent. Curious he lowered his stance, and gathered up his cloak, then ran over to it. Looking through a window he saw a bunch of furs on the bed, and decided to slip inside. Pushing the tent flap up, after being sure he wasn't being watched, Loki entered and eased his way to the bed. His fingers hovered over the furs, and with a quick flip he pulled them back. Loki stared then furrowed his brow when he saw no one was there.

_Odd, where did she go?_ He tossed them back and walked out intent on going by Lorelei. However he didn't have to go far, as he saw Amora coming back from the other tent. She stopped, took one look at him and then hurried back for Lorelei's tent.

"Amora a moment of your time, darling," he called to her, she didn't respond, so he hurried along doubling his pace until he caught up with her. Grabbing her by the shoulder he turned her around only to see that her face didn't quite match. She pushed back and then Amora was before him.

"What do you want Loki, I was tending to my sister."

He stared and raised his hand, a small red glow covered it and she stared at him with the strangest of expressions.

"What are you doing?" Amora asked but before he could tell her the spell was cast and she yelped in pain. Covering her face Amora slowly got to her feet, the blond hair changing to a strawberry red. "Wh…what is this? Some sort of joke Loki Odinson."

"Oh no, no this is no joke," he marched over and grabbed her by her shoulders, forcing her hands down to stare Lorelei in the face. "Where is your sister Lorelei?"

When she didn't respond he shook her some, a bit harder then he intended, but the point was delivered. He was angry, and worried, very, very worried.

"I asked where she is. Now tell me, or do you want me to go to Lord Frey?"

"I…I don't know…she…she asked me to take a potion and…" Lorelei cried. Loki's hard expression didn't change. He felt a bit bad, but if Amora had vanished, she may have turned traitor and that would be bad for all of them.

"What potion Lorelei?" he asked, again she didn't respond and he gripped her arms hard. "What potion?"

"Loki, please, you're hurting me," she whimpered and he glared at her releasing his grip, but still holding her tightly.

"What potion? When did she give this to you?"

"E…earlier after the fight," Lorelei said numbly. "She told me…th…that she needed me to be her for a while, so she gave me the potion to make me look like her."

"Was it you in the tent this afternoon," he asked slowly and she nodded. Cursing under his breath he inquired, "So that story, was that something she told you, or did you make it up."

"She told me about it, I don't know if it's real or not," Lorelei slipped from his grasp and knelt before him. She looked weak, scared, like the child that she was. Grabbing his cloak she pleaded, "Please Loki, please. My sister is the only family I have, please don't tell Lord Frey. Please. She probably just went out looking for some enhancements."

"Or she's working for the other side Lorelei," he snapped and moved back from her. Turning on his heels he headed for Thor's tent. She got up and ran after him.

"What are you going to do?"

"Tell my brother and then we'll figure out what to do with you and your sister," Loki was saying when he heard a sharp whistle through the air, followed by a loud explosion that threw him from his feet. Both he and Lorelei crashed to the ground and when he looked up he saw that the city was on fire.

"Brother, are you alright?" Thor had rushed out wearing just a pair of pants. He picked up Lorelei and then helped Loki to his feet. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but it looks like another attack." Loki said as Lorelei rushed up the hill. He immediately ran after her calling to Thor, "Don't let her go, Amora's gone missing and she may know where she is."

Thor didn't bother asking what he was talking about, but ran after Lorelei with him. Troops were pouring out of the tents and Frey's shouts of orders could be heard over the din, as Tyr commanded others to get the fire out. Lorelei stopped at the top of the hillside, and when Loki and Thor caught up to her the thoughts of capturing her were blown from their mind. In the distance they could see a stream of red moving faster than humanly possible. Warriors in black stood at the ready as the strange streak came up from the forests.

"Are…are those horses?" Thor asked dumbfounded seeing a multitude of legs now, and Loki gazed out at them.

"I think they are, with red clad riders, but what are they?"

"Demons," Lorelei said softly and the brothers looked at her as she added, "They've come to destroy the city."


	14. Chapter 14: The Nightmare

_**A/N: Thank you for the reviews, sorry these chapters are taking a while, Next one should be the last regarding Hogan's lands. Then on to more, fun stuff. *crosses fingers* **_

_**Copyright: Marvel owns Thor and all characters.** _

* * *

It was cold, colder than normal for the time of year, and Sigyn reached down to cover herself with the blankets, only to find there was none and that she wasn't in her bed. She sat up suddenly and hurriedly looked around.

_Where am I?_ She thought peering at into the darkness. She could make out a fancy polished floor, and tall red pillars with banners hanging from them. There were windows that let in the moonlight and she could see the hints of snow falling from the shadows that it cast on the floor. Getting up slowly she clung to a wooden pillar and searched about hoping to find an exit. She knew she had gone to bed in her own room, so how had she come to this place, wherever that was, was a mystery to her.

_Maybe I can find someone to tell me what's going on?_ She thought and saw something dart out of the corner of her eye. She blinked and detected a person wearing a long black robe flittering between the pillars. Sigyn watched as the person moved over to a set of large doors and pulled one open. The person hesitated for a moment, and then slipped in, shutting the door behind them. Not sure what to make of it Sigyn deftly followed the person to the door, looking around for anyone, and then pulled at the bronze handle. The door opened silently and she peeked in. Whoever it was had vanished and she felt more unnerved than before.

She started to close it, when she noticed a black clad man with fur trim walking around the area she had been in. He had a weapon in hand, and Sigyn realize he had to be a guard. She then figured that if she was caught there she would be questioned and not knowing how or why she was there was a bad thing. Moving backwards she went through the door and into a corridor lit only by very small red lanterns. Sigyn cautiously stepped on the cold floor as she wandered searching for a way to leave. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she saw the black robed person again, and made to call out to them, but the person slipped away down another hall. Sigyn didn't hesitate this time and gave chase. She rounded the corner and spotted the person going to a fork, look back and forth before turning left.

Sigyn weaved and bobbed the passageways with what she assumed was now an intruder.

Where are they going? What are they looking for? She wondered running after them, wishing she was older so she could catch up. She stopped to catch her breath when the person turned another corner and then halted by a green and gold door. Watching Sigyn saw that when the intruder reached for the handle it let out a light jolt of energy and made the person pull away with a yelp that sounded quite feminine.

_Maybe I should try to get someone_, Sigyn thought, but realized that there was no time when the intruder used a spell to force the doors open. The black robed figure went inside and Sigyn followed just as the doors shut. Inside she gazed at the many wondrous items that were on display. Ancient artifacts, hanging scrolls, arts and crafts that were as amazing as her father made. Sigyn felt elated to see such remarkable treasures. As she walked around her eyes came upon a box of crystals with a dragon carved into it, she made her way up the steps of the platform that they sat upon, only for the intruder to com over to the crystals too, reach a hand out to pick up the last green one.

"No!" Sigyn cried out and the thief looked up at where she stood. Sigyn froze seeing a pair of green eyes, stare back at her. For a second she thought that the thief could see her, but then she realized that they were looking behind her. Sigyn slowly turned to and saw an elderly man dressed in gold with two black clad warriors standing before him. The first was male and muscular with a mustache; the other was female, with a scarf around her head and face wielding a set of throwing knives.

"I'm impressed you got into this room," the elderly man said, his blue eyes illuminated in the dark shadows. "But you will not leave the way you came. You have a choice here, return what you stole and leave unharmed, or take it and face the consequences of your actions."

The thief's hand hesitated for a moment, then it grabbed the gem and the old man shook his head sadly.

"A foolish choice of one so young," he snapped his fingers and the two warriors advanced on the thief. Sigyn watched as the woman threw various small knives at the thief, while the man attacked with a large hammer, trying to smash the person. The thief danced about the room, throwing spells and energy projectiles at the two. Sigyn ducked behind the crystal's stand and peered out at the fighting. Her fingers gripped the edge of the wood as the smaller of the warriors seemed to teleport away from the point where the thief threw a projectile spell, leaving only the scarf she had been wearing. The woman smirked reappearing, her blue eyes shimmering with determination and charged at the thief, then was stabbed through the back by a new combatant that materialized in the room.

"Valda No!" howled the man as he rushed the new stranger who easily cut him down with multiple slashes from a set of katana. With both warriors down the new combatant turned to face the old man in gold. He stared at his fallen warriors then at the killer who Sigyn could see was wearing blue and green armor under a long cloak.

"So he's sent you in his place, has he, Sherzada," the old man stated as he deliberately took a step forward, his eyes glowing brighter. "I expected more from him, has he become frightened by my presence here?"

"No you old fool, he just realized it would be better to send stronger fighter to do the work." Sherzada stated and she took up a fighting stance. The man in gold looked to the thief and raised his hand at them.

"I give you one more chance, my dear. Leave the crystal and run, I will let you live."

The thief seemed to consider this option and moved to place the crystal back when the warrior called Sherzada blocked the thief with her blade.

"If you place it back I will kill you here as I just did his best men, do you wish to take the chance and lose your life as well as the skill you wished to learn, the skill that you so richly deserve?"

The thief looked between the old man and the woman, then waved a hand and blasted the man in gold. Sigyn watched him deflect it and shake his head very slowly.

"A foolish move," he stated as the shadows seemed to overwhelm him. Sigyn gasped when there was a roar from where the man once stood and flames erupted out of the shadows. The thief and Sherzada darted out of the way, but the thief's scarf got caught in the tail end of the flames, setting it on fire. Ripping it from her head the Thief turned to face the shadows, and Sigyn looked on in confusion.

_Lady Amora? But what is she doing?_ Sigyn wondered as Amora cast another spell at the shadow wall. There was a screech and Sherzada shouted worriedly.

"Did we get him?"

Another terrifying bellow and raging out of the shadows was a huge serpentine dragon of gold and red, with white hair and bright blue eyes. It looked down at the two women and Amora spat, "Clearly not!"

The dragon howled and discharged fire down upon the floor, engulfing everything in flames. The women ducked the blasts and ran for the door, the strange dragon grabbing the remaining crystals in its three paws and charged after them. With trained swiftness Amora knocked open the doors and the two fled followed by the monstrous god. Sigyn covered her mouth to block the smoke, and raced out hoping to find out what was going on.

The building was rocked with explosions and Sigyn was thrown against a wall. Pushing herself up she forced herself forward through the smoke and fire that now covered the walls around her. She followed the trail of destruction to the double doors that were now hanging wide open off their hinges. Inside the dragon was twisting, clawing, biting and firing flares of energy based on the crystals that he held in his claws. The two women bobbed, weaved and ducked the attacks as they made for the exit.

"Take the jinn with you, and get out of here. Our men will be here soon," shouted Sherzada who slashed at the dragon's fangs as it tried to bite her. "Amora, GO NOW!"

Sigyn watched Amora pause for a second before she turned and ran down the length of the hall. The dragon reached to grab her, taking down pillars as he did so with his tail, forcing Amora and Sigyn to cover their heads from falling pieces of burning wood.

"You will not escape! Return what you stole Enchantress…" the dragon screamed as Sharzada sliced at his face and stabbed him over and over with her swords. Roaring the beast shoved the pillars apart and sent the roof collapsing in, Sherzada stabbing her sword into his side as a means of going up when he took off. Amora burst from the building just as the roof fell in, and rolled down the stairs followed by Sigyn.

Outside Sigyn saw Amora run down the main street among the panic masses. When she tried to follow she got lost in the crowd and was thrown back when part of a long wall suddenly blew up. Getting to her feet she looked out of the new hole in the wall and her jaw dropped in fear of what she saw. Thousands of red riders with horrific demonic faces were chasing down citizens and warriors alike. She watched as these barbaric beasts murdered any that got in their paths, and even as she stood she could feel a dread wash over her. The field before the city was a hostile ground of blood and death. Light Elf forces were being slaughtered beside the black clad warriors, and Sigyn covered her face when the demons burnt the remains into ash. Their wild laughter sent chills down her body. Among the wild sounds the terrible roar of a fight happened above her head as the dragon and the woman called Sherzada battled on the remains of the roof.

Sigyn watched as the dragon was wounded over and over, even as it fought bravely against the woman who was now stabbing at his neck and shoulders. Blood fell down and she watched as the dragon tried to bite the woman's hands as they hopped roof top to roof top in the deadly battle. Her attention was drawn away when she heard a familiar voice shout a spell and a demon scream. Turning to the sound Sigyn saw Loki wielding his sword and throwing blasts from his hand as he cut down the monsters that were attacking.

"Loki?" she intoned as Sigyn moved closer to the battle. He was in a world of his own, flares of energy blasting from his hand, green eyes full of rage as he cut down his attackers with one swift slash. She felt like she was looking both at something beautifully artistic, but terribly horrible at the same time. _Two …three…four…_she lost count of the creatures that were swarming the fighters. She could see Sif's black hair swirl in the fire and moonlight, hear Thor's mighty battle cries as he plunged into war with other combatants, the bright green flurry of Fandrel as he ripped into riders that were coming at him. Balder and Volstagg were back to back with a man with a long black braid, a light elf and a young man dressed as the couple that Sigyn saw fall to the blade of Sharzada.

"There's too many! Where are they all coming from?" shouted the braid man who ran through a monster and another quickly took its place.

"I don't know, but I don't see an end to them," Balder landed a strong punch to the jaw of another, as the elf blasted one off its steed. "We need to retreat, get the people out of here."

"I would have to agree with him Lord Tyr, anything less and the people will be no more!" Volstagg shouted in return and grappled with a demon who was trying to bite at his face. "Get away from me, don't you have some sort of bone to gnaw on!"

The one named Tyr sneered, "If we retreat we show weakness."

"My land is already lost," the one in black said as he crashed his mace down upon a demon's head. "My people must be kept safe. It is not weak to retreat when you know you are outmatched. We need to think of a new plan."

"You may wish to tell that to your king," said the elf, who motioned up to the battling dragon. The one in black's eyes went wide, and he screamed out something to Sigyn which sounded like, "Mother, Father!" before darting away from the group, with Balder and Volstagg giving chase, heading right for the burning city.

Loki looked up at hearing the shouting and turned his attention to the running figures. In that moment Sigyn saw another demon rush him from his blind side, a red hot light burning from its fingers as it poised ready to strike him from behind.

"No!" she screamed, reaching out for Loki. A bright gold light shot from her fingers hitting the beast in the chest, causing his spell to weaken as it shot at Loki. The prince turned to see the attack, and cast another spell to deflect, but some of the fire hit him, sending Loki flying back against the ground, and he hit his head. Sigyn cried out as the beast was cleaved by Thor who saw his brother fall. She felt dizzy, eyes heavy, and fell to her knees then collapsed onto the snow crying. The world swam, and she managed to crawl to her friend, his green eyes closed, and a burn on his chest. Sigyn touched his hand as she passed out beside him.

"Sigyn, SIGYN!" Idunn's voice woke her from her slumber and Sigyn bolted up screaming.

"No! Please no! I don't want to see anymore! I don't want to see it," she sobbed into Idunn's waiting arms. Her elder sister clasped her close, and stroked her hair, shushing her as the young girl cried. Outside a storm was brewing far in the distance and Idunn was certain that something terrible had happened in the land of Skornhiem.


	15. Chapter 15:A New Mission

_**A/N: Warning, this chapter took me a while to write as I wasn't sure how to present some of the information. Promise that next one will be more interesting as it will actually cover some events that have been playing out in my head for weeks now. Again thank you for the kind reviews. **_

_**Copyright: All characters are owned by Marvel Comics and were created by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby, Roy Thompson, and John Buscema.**_

* * *

The last thing Loki remembered before he hit the snowy ground and blacked out was the wave of heat blasted at him and the streaming torrent of fire that erupted from the demon horse riders that overwhelmed the troops that rushed to meet them. He saw the outer wall of the city crumble and fall, the screams of the citizens, and the howls from the demons as they slayed everything in their paths. He also remembered pain, pain from hitting his head, pain from being burnt, pain from the pounding of blood that ran through his veins. The pain and sounds of screaming only ceased when he was sleeping, here in the dark nothing he could rest and not feel, not think, just have bliss of floating.

"Loki, Loki!" he could hear a voice calling to him, loud, deep and booming. Slowly, cautiously the young prince opened his eyes and saw bright white colors all around him. Blurred shapes moved about, and the world seemed to swim as he tried to think. He could feel something cool on top of his head, hear the shuffle of feet and cloth from people passing by, and smell herb concoctions used for medicinal purposes. When his vision cleared and he could fully see Loki's eyes trained on the familiar visage of his brother who was now leaning over him trying to see if he was awake.

"Loki," Thor whispered this time after being shushed by an elf healer. "Brother, are you feeling better?"

"What happened?" Loki slowly sat up and felt a cool rag tumble off his forehead and into his lap. He remembered the sound of screaming, explosions, and the smell of fire burning the air. Turning his gaze at Thor he saw his brother looked just as bad as he felt. "You look like hell you know that?"

"So do you," Thor smiled softly as he wiped his eyes. Loki raised an eyebrow as Thor muttered, "Ash, from the fires."

"Of course," the younger man intoned. "I suppose I have you to thank for getting me here?  
"Aye, better then leaving you on the field like that."

"You know I could have managed myself," Loki said sarcastically then reached out and clasped his brother's hand tightly. "Thank you for looking out for me though."

"You would have done the same for me," Thor said and Loki gave a nod, though a nagging small part of him wondered if that was true. Letting go Loki quickly changed the subject.

"So, how bad is it?"

Thor's head dropped and Loki licked his lips leaning back on his arms as he rested, and gazed up at the top of the tent.

"That bad, I suppose it was inevitable," he waved one hand casually, "We weren't prepared for spawn of hell, or whatever those things were. They didn't look like the normal demons we've faced from Muspelheim."

"I don't believe they were, and what do you mean, it was inevitable," Thor scowled at this comment and fixed his brother with a cold stare. "Are you saying that there was no chance to win? That this fight was never one we could win? I disagree brother; we could have won if we had more time and information to use. We can't just give up and leave, these people need us."

Loki studied him as Thor watched him. A smirk played at his lips, his brother was always one to think that there was no battle that could not be won, no cause that wasn't justified to fight for as long as it was right. It was hysterical in a way, and Loki would have laughed if he had been in any state to do so without falling into groans of pain. Since he couldn't laugh he just gave Thor an amused smile.

"_If_, brother, _if_. Keep that in mind, _if_ we had more time and information we could have easily figured out a way to stop those monsters from riding in and attack. But we did not, so we could not, thus it was inevitable that we would lose given we were down on men and short on time. Miracles do not happen by magic Thor, even I know that."

"The people need to believe there is still a chance Loki," Thor told him bluntly and Loki nodded. He crossed his legs and wiggled a foot, keeping his eyes trained on his toes, he wondered if he should cut them.

"I asked how bad it was, the last thing I remember was seeing a blazing fire in the city, getting hit by a raw heat spell, landing on my ass and hitting my head in the process. So what became of the city?"

Thor was silent, got to his feet and offered a hand to Loki who took it in order to stand.

"Showing you is easier than telling you," pushing back the cloth cover Thor motioned to Loki to look out. What he saw shocked him to his core. The once mighty city with its bright colors and illustrious glow now stood as a blackened charred husk. The wall had fallen and most, if not all the buildings lay in ruin. The palace where they had eaten the night before was nothing more than bits of burnt wood and stone, which hissed and snapped from dying embers that were hit by falling snow.

"That happened in one night? But how," Loki looked to Thor who narrowed his gaze on the ruined buildings.

"Those crystals that were in that room, they created a field around the city. Someone took one, causing the force field to stop working, allowing those demons to come and directly attack it."

"And the people," Loki knew the answer, but a part of him had to hear it to be certain. Thor heaved a long sigh, and looked down at the snow.

"Out of the three thousand that made up the city, only one thousand are still alive."

"Only one thousand," Loki asked as his face paled. He felt sick, how could so many have died in such a short amount of time? It was genocide, and the worst part was that they had been there to prevent such a thing from happening. His chest hurt, and he gripped at the loose dressing that the elves had put him in. Thor propped him up and Loki took deep breaths. "What of the king and his court?"

"A few nobles survived, the king, I'm not sure," Thor informed him as Loki looked out at the still crimson snow. The cold wind helped make the burn on his chest feel better, as Thor told him about the fight. How the demons attacked the warriors and the events that followed. The appearance of the dragon and the woman fighting atop the burning roofs, the subsequent explosions from the demons that managed to break the walls, and how the forces were overwhelmed. What bothered Loki most was that Lorelei ran away from the fight and his wound came from him trying to stop her. There was also the weird factor that he had seen something change up the magic that the demon had used on him, but this he decided to keep private.

"So what became of the King? Is he alive at all?"

Thor gave a short nod, "He's resting, though according to Nari he's not doing well. His body is weak."

"What of the crystals? How do they know one was stolen?" Loki sat back down feeling dizzy, he still had not fully recovered and that annoyed him. Thor gave him an impatient look as he sat in a chair.

"You're asking a lot of questions, you should be resting."

"Never mind resting, what about the crystals?" Loki spat and started to get up. "You just said that they created a force field around the city, and that one was stolen. Of course I'm asking questions, Magic is my specialty Thor, if something happened where I could have prevented this attack, then…"

Thor stood, pushed him back down with one hand and stared intensely at his brother as he spoke.

"Loki, no one, not you, not Amora, not even Father, could have prevented them from entering. They came to fast, and were too powerful." He sighed some and pulled back. "King Batukhan rescued the remaining crystals; the one that was stolen was the wind. We found him clutching them in the wreckage of the palace. He's in no shape to move, barely can talk. What's worse, his two main guards, Nassor and Valda, where killed in the attack, Hogan is not taking it well."

"I should hardly think I would blame him," Loki drawled as he listened intently.

"Nor do I," Thor retorted as he leaned on the table that was adjacent to Loki's bed. "But even so, Lord Frey is insisting that we find the thief and get the crystal back."

"And who does he want to hunt this crystal down?" Loki asked already knowing the answer that would come. Thor rolled his eyes and played along with his brother's game, he was used to Loki being a perpetual brat when he wanted to, especially in moments when the younger man felt he was powerless.

"At first he was going to have a team of elves, but I convinced him otherwise. The ones hunting down the crystal will be a team consisting of you, Fandrel, Hogan, Volstagg, Balder, Lady Sif and myself," Thor told him and Loki looked perplexed.

"And what of Tyr and Lord Frey, what will they be doing while we are hunting down this crystal?" Loki put his arms under his head with a look of distain. "Will they just be sitting here resting while we do all the work?"

"Nay Loki, why do you think the worst of them?" Thor questioned and rubbed his face. For the first time Loki actually took a good look at him and noticed that he too was bandaged up. A small smirk came upon his lips that quickly vanished as he spoke.

"I do not think the worst of them, I think it seems odd that they will not be joining us in this quest, don't you?"

"Aye, but there's good reason for that," Thor told him and Loki huffed as a healer came over to check on him. The elf carefully administered a liquid to his wound, which made Loki feel rather drowsy. "It seems that sleep wishes to greet you brother, we shall talk later at the meeting."

"Meeting," Loki intoned, his eyes barely staying open. "What meeting?"

"The one Lord Frey wishes to have with us to discuss our plan of action. Nari told me about it while you were sleeping. I'm sure he will get you when you wake." Thor bowed to the healer as he quietly walked out of the tent, Loki watching him go with lidded eyes. He closed them and smirked to himself wondering if things would have been better had he just stayed at the palace.

* * *

Several hours later Loki found himself standing beside the death bed of King Batukhan along with the others in his team. The once powerful king looked like a ghost of himself, his skin was gray and his face was gaunt. Loki could make out scales just under the flaking crust that housed what he figured now to be a dragon lord, which were losing their radiance even as he tried to speak. Batukhan looked to the group with his bright blue eyes and smiled weakly.

"It seems we meet again, young princes of Asgard."

"Indeed and I regret that it is at such a terrible time," Loki bowed to him, Batukhan just chuckled. The action made Loki quirk an eyebrow as the old man looked at them.

"Terrible time, no there is no such thing. Death is simply another step forward young sorcerer. It is nothing to be sad about, my life is long and I have no regrets," he turned to face Hogan who was kneeling beside him, head down, but Loki could tell the young man had had no sleep the night before. "Hogan, my noblest warrior, I know your pain of loss. I too lost those who were dear to me, but for their spirits we must stop those that would destroy us all. I ask you to seek out the one that did this to our people and put it all to an end."

Hogan bowed his head to his King, "I will avenge my people, my King."

Batukhan nodded his head slowly and looked at Frey as he spoke.

"You must travel to the Mystic Mountain, it is south of here, there you will find the lair of the one called Mongol." He motioned to the remaining crystals that lay in the box near his bed. "Find the missing piece, restore the balance, and bring back the peace. Please, for my people's future."

Hogan caught hold of the man's hand as his blue eyes slowly closed. The noble woman taking care of him motioned to them to exit. Hogan let go stating something in his native tounge to the sleeping King, rose, and lead the others from the tent. Outside Balder asked softly to him.

"What did you say to him, Hogan?"

"I told him I will not lose and I will make sure that his people will be safe."

"We all will, friend," Thor put a hand on his shoulder. Hogan gave the young prince a serious look.

"This is not your fight Prince of Asgard."

"Aye, but you are our friend Hogan," said Fandrel and crossed his arms. "Besides when Thor has made up his mind he's very difficult to dissuade from it."

Loki looked between Thor and Hogan; he could tell his brother wasn't putting on a front like Tyr would. Thor was too good hearted for that, and the fact was that he'd learned during his time sleeping Thor and the others had stayed with the young warrior long enough to become friendly with him even in this tragic time. Hogan gave a slow nod and Frey waved the group into his tent, where he laid out a large map on a table. Tyr was waiting for them, and Loki noticed there was a sever scowl to his face, Lorelei was nowhere to be scene, that worried Loki some since Tyr's temper could get the best of him.

"It seems something's bothering Tyr again," Loki commented softly to Volstagg as they moved around the table to look at the map. Volstagg nodded and whispered back, making sure that Tyr wasn't watching.

"Aye, he's rather upset that Thor is leading this group. Seems to think he's being punished, and feels he needs to repair the damage done by the two sorceresses."

Loki gave the red head an inquisitive look, but before he could ask why Tyr would be punished Frey spoke up.

"As you know, this mission is of the utmost importance. If you fail, we will not come back for you." Loki looked at Thor who scowled, crossed his arms and glared at Frey. Frey did not return his glare, rather his eyes stayed squarely on the map. "We arranged for a scouting group to head out before you."

"A scouting group before us," Balder inquired with a worried brow.

"Yes, in order to see if the fiends were still camping out." Tyr stood up from the leaning position he had against a small bookcase. "They were warriors that know this land; it was the safest bet before sending your squad out cousin."

"On who's orders," Thor inquired, his temper flaring.

"Mine." Tyr stated getting very close to Thor, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Do you have a problem with that son of Odin?"

"Aye, there are few men left, and not so many to spare. Sending out warriors that know the people to scout for us, when we have Lady Sif, and Balder, two of the best scouts I know, as well as Hogan, it's a foolhardy ploy cousin." Thor retorted darkly, his fingers very near the hilt of his blade.

"Well you should know about fool hardy actions, cousin," hiss Tyr giving Thor a push. Thor lunged for him and Sif got between them, shoving them apart and angrily, glaring at both.

"Enough! We don't have time for this male show of hostility. When we return to Asgard you two can fight it out all you want, but here we have a mission to complete. Don't you agree Thor?"

Loki smirked as his brother nodded and extend his hand to Tyr who brushed it aside. Lowering his voice he intoned to Fandrel, "It seems that the Great War God is having a bit of a tantrum."

"Yes, although I suppose he will be blamed for the debacle with Lady Amora and her sister. Not to mention Lord Frey will surely be remanded for allowing this attack to happen." Fandrel didn't dare look at Loki who made a noise of approval from his throat. Frey squinted at the two young gods and then continued.

"From what we know, last night there was a thief that entered the palace. We don't know how they did, they just did."

"Could someone have assisted them?" asked Fandrel and Hogan replied bluntly.

"There are many ways into the palace, all are normally guarded. Only one with magic could have gotten in, or one who is recognized by the palace as an ally."

"Recognized," Thor turned to look at Hogan with surprise. "You mean that the place was a living thing?"

"No, the palace itself was not, the king used his power to grant the palace the ability to recognize friend or foe. The only way for a foe to bypass that was to at one time be a friend."

"So it had to have been someone who had been in there before." Volstagg said stating the obvious. The group looked at him with queer expressions and he smiled. "Well I'm just saying what others are thinking."

Frey cleared his throat, motioned for all of them to look at the map and proceeded to make several marks on it with his burnt piece of wood. Loki wondered silently if the man ever heard of a thing called a quill.

"The scouts were sent out three hours ago, they were to make their way due south, as per instructions from King Batukhan," he pointed to the X mark and trailed his finger down a path. "The last location was here. We need to know what happened to them, that's part one of the mission. I'm assigning Loki as the head of communications," Frey turned around and picked up a sack. With a quick motion he pulled out a stone and tossed it to Loki, who caught it in his hand. It was small, smooth and white with tiny black speckles. The prince of mischief raised an eyebrow and held it up as if to ask 'And what should I do with this?' to which Frey quickly stated. "You are to use that to pass along messages to us, set it on the ground and create some light around it; the stone will do the rest."

Loki gave a curt nod before putting it in his pouch, along with other items he could use in a pinch.

"Part two of the assignment, find Mongol and bring him down. If what the king says is true…"

"It is true, it is the word of our King," Hogan stabbed his knife down on the map and twisted it some. Frey looked at the knife and the young man, as Loki whispered to Balder who was watching with some nervousness.

"Seems we don't want to doubt the word of the late King."

"Aye, certainly not," Balder swallowed as Frey seemed to brush off the incident and continue talking as if a knife was not right now plunged into his table.

"You'll be taking the southern route through the forested area, and hopefully you won't come into contention. Once you locate Mongol at the mountain you are to locate the crystal and return it to us. Mongol needs to be stopped, what we do know thanks to Nassor," he paused her and lowered his head, stood in silence for a moment, then looked up with a determined spark in his eyes, "that Mongol has a fortress in a city. We don't know where he's hiding it though, but reportedly there are ways to discover this."

Frey then went on to outline a long list of coordinates that Loki found rather dull. The simplest plans were usually the best, and the factor was that Frey wasn't the best when it came out to laying out simple plans. He was a warrior, a leader, when it came to battles he knew where to put men and how to use them effectively. This was a stealth job, an operation that needed to be conducted quickly. Given the information that they had, which was very little, Loki began to devise his own set of strategies that could be used once they were away from Frey and Tyr. Thor, he noticed, was looking on with interest, though Loki could tell by the way his brow was furrowed that he thought the plans were idiotic, and he was sure that his brother would be the first to ditch them as soon as they left the base camp.

"Do you understand your roles?" questioned Frey as Thor repeated back.

"Fandrel, Volstagg, Hogan, and I will head south, acting as the main battle company, Lady Sif and Balder will be acting as our wingmen and help us direct our actions regarding whatever Mongol throws at us. Loki is our communication and magic officer, who will be used to create barriers and healing spells should we need it."

"Excellent," Frey clapped Thor on the shoulder. "I know you will be a fine leader."

"And what of you and Lord Tyr," Loki inquired thoughtfully, he had not been satisfied with the answer he had received earlier. Frey looked sternly at the young man; there was a hint of annoyance to his tone, as if he didn't like the idea of being questioned.

"We will be coordinating efforts to locate the survivors of the attacks form the villages and locate a secure place to house the refugees."

"I see, while we risk our lives to locate Mongol, something you should have been doing before all this happened, eh, Lord Frey." Loki sneered and crossed his arms. "I do hope you enjoy your pleasant task, then."

"As usual Loki, you bear the attitude of a coward and a weakling," Tyr sneered and Loki shrugged his shoulders. Frey shook his head grimly as he pushed Tyr back.

"Loki speaks honestly, Tyr, he feels that we are sending them off on a suicidal mission. But I would not have allowed for this had I not felt the convictions of your brother Loki. We shall leave it at that. Your horses await you in the south most clearing," he addressed the group and motioned them to leave the tent, "May the All-Father protect you on your journey."

Outside Balder rubbed his forehead and heaved a sigh, "This whole situation seems so wrong."

"I agree," Fandrel added as they made their way to the southern clearing, Volstagg and Hogan in the lead. "Do you think that they hope we can clean up this mess?"

"It's pretty much a given," Loki tempered his words with a sarcastic tone. "If anything they're trying to make it look good for them, so they won't have to face Odin's wrath when they return."

"Facing his wrath or not, they both should be ashamed for the fact that they didn't think to have more protection placed upon the palace." Sif looked at Thor. "And what actions do you think we should take?"

"Our plans change," Thor said as they stopped and looked at him. "We will find Mongol and make him pay for his crime, but we shall do so in our own way."

"And how do we do that?" Balder inquired crossing his arms and looking rather curious at the Thunder God. Thor grinned and pulled out his blade as he held it aloft.

"We shall improvise as we go along, and show Tyr and Frey that we are not simply soldiers to be ordered around."

"But we did say we would do as _they _said," Balder reminded Thor. The older boy laughed and clapped him on the shoulder smiling.

"There is no need to worry Balder; we are still doing as they asked just in a slightly different way. Besides that, we need to worry about the location of the scouting team, as they are friends of Hogan, and I gave my word we would avenge his fallen brothers." Thor pulled Balder along with him as the others followed. The group soon met Nari who was holding horses for them. With thanks they mounted and Thor beamed at the group as he shouted, "For Asgard!"

"For Asgard!" they shouted in reply as the group rode off through the clearing and into the forest ahead.


	16. Chapter 16: Thor gets a Hammer

**A/N: In the event that I have misspelled the name of Mogul in previous chapters, I should like to note that his name is Mogul and not Mongol. I have no idea why I may have done that, and I will eventually be re-editing all these chapters. Thank you for all the wonderful comments so far. Oh and Thor gets a hammer…**

_Copyright: Thor, Loki, and all other characters related to this story are property of Marvel Comics and creators, Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby, Roy Thompson, and John Buscema._

* * *

Riding through the forest was a breath of fresh air. For the moment there were no thoughts of death and destruction, though it stayed in the back of everyone's minds, at the moment it was just the sheer exhilaration of moving fast through the snowy terrain and spraying a wake of fresh powdered snow behind them as they raced. Loki, for his part, certainly kept up with the spirit of things, though no one was whooping or hollering with abandon as they would if the last night had not happened. Still it seemed that even the grim faced Hogan was slightly enjoying himself, even though it was clear by the sparkle to his eyes that he was still in mourning. It wasn't long before Balder picked up on a trail that wasn't the tracks of a woodland animal. He slowed, forcing the others to do so and called to Hogan.

"Do you know if the party went out with horses?"

"Aye, some did." He rode over to Balder with Thor and stared down at the horse hooves that dotted the snow. Hogan dismounted and peered keenly at the tracks for several moments before nodding his head as if affirming something. Climbing back up, he looked at Thor and Balder, pointing his finger. "Those are the horses the guards use; they have a cover on their hooves so as to not freeze the skin around them, it's easier to clean that way."

"The tracks lead down through a passage to a clearing," Hogan motioned beyond the tree line. "If we keep following this trail we should be able to locate them."

"Then we should move swiftly but quietly," Thor looked to Loki over his shoulder. "Brother would you kindly silence our approach."

"I should think the snow would work well, but as you wish," Loki said placing a damping spell on their mounts. With a soft kick Thor urged his horse on as he trailed Hogan and Balder, with the others following behind, down the trail of tracks. It wasn't long before Fandrel noticed something strange in the air.

"Do you smell smoke?" He asked Sif who gave a quick nod as she glimpsed around.

"But there's none to be seen, the smells pretty pungent though, like it just was put out."

Loki's horse whinnied some as he tried to steady it; something had agitated the young stallion. He missed his own horse, which had died protecting him; she was the sort that wasn't easily spooked, although having one that was this anise allowed for Loki to know if something was coming before the others.

"Perhaps we can get some answers ahead, though I think maybe leaving the horses behind might be best. This one seems timid." He motioned to his steed which was shifting and backing up, even as Loki urged it forward. Hogan gave a grunt of agreement and gestured over to some cover by a group of tall trees and smaller saplings.

"We can harness them there and then creep around the rocky side, it's a good place to observe as well," Hogan stated as the others lead their horses to the hidden location. With swiftness they tied the reins to lower tree branches loosely, allowing for a quick getaway for the horses if trouble stared, and carefully made their way through the twisting forest following Hogan's directions. Fairly soon the band of heroes found themselves standing before a rocky drop that slid down into a small valley. Down below there was the remains of a camp, but nothing more. Perplexed by this Thor and Hogan agreed to descend first, followed by Sif and Fandrel, Balder, Loki and Volstagg took up the rear. With weapons at the ready they moved steadily towards the encampment, hiding behind rocks, trees and whatever was available. However, the closer they came the more they realized that the place seemed to be abandoned.

"This doesn't seem right," Balder muttered to the others as they entered the area where the tents were set up. "We should search around the perimeter, and check the tents. But be on guard."

Nodding Loki headed off towards the tents with Balder and Sif, while Thor, Hogan, Fandrel and Volstagg searched around the perimeter and beyond. The encampment was in good condition, the tents were still standing, there were no signs of a struggle, and the only thing that seemed out of place was that there were uniforms lying in the snow in odd places. Wandering around the camp Loki kept getting the feeling that they were missing something.

"Any luck finding anything?" he asked Balder as he came out of a tent. The younger man shook his head and Loki bit his lip as Sif called out to them.

"I found something," she said as they came over to her and stared at a doused fire.

"Well at least we know where the smell came from," Loki intoned as Sif bent down to examine the remains and found burnt cloth. Picking it up carefully she turned it over in her palm, her brow furrowed and she showed it to Loki and Balder.

"Look familiar?" she asked them, Loki glanced at it, sniffed some but said nothing. Of course it looked familiar, the cloth had been a piece of the cloak that Amora had worn during their battle when they first arrived. Balder on the other hand carefully lifted it from Sif's hand and examined it thoughtfully.

"Is this…" he started to say when shouts from the distance drew their attention from the fire. Pocketing the bit of cloth Balder, Loki, and Sif hurried to where the shouting was coming from. They ran through the camp, Sif moving faster than Loki or Balder, heading toward the perimeter of the camping grounds. Loki slowed when they spotted Hogan holding onto a young man's body, shouting at him.

"What's happened?" Sif inquired to Thor as she approached. Loki didn't need to be told as he could plainly make out what had occurred. There was a post that had been planted in the ground, and several ropes hung from it. The man was bear chested and Loki could make out the bruising and burn marks from where he had tried to pull out of the rope. Given the conditions they were in, he had clearly been exposed to the elements, which didn't bode well for his health.

"We found him here tied to the post, his name is Saguta, one of the scouts sent out earlier," Thor explained softly to Sif. "I don't know what is condition is, Balder can you…"

Balder gave a nod and headed over to Hogan who was trying to keep Saguta from passing out. He had wrapped him up in his cloak and was trying to warm his body up as quickly as he possibly could. Loki observed the scene with a hint of humility, here they had been racing along the path earlier and now death was staring them once more in the face. The whole adventure seemed like a bad dream.

"Mogul," Saguta suddenly shouted and Balder pulled away when man tried to grip him. Hogan grabbed his hand as Saguta's eyes went wide, "Mogul…plague….men t...turned to dust. I tried to fight, he…he had his henchmen tie me up. Told me that he wa…was going to raze the other villages after the city fell. Has helpers, forgive me."

"There is no need for forgiveness, but where is the monster," Hogan asked him and Saguta gritted his teeth to keep from screaming. "Saguta, where is he!"

"Mys...Mystic Mountain, t…the Wazir knows the way," Saguta breathed out and then lay still in Hogan's arms. Quietly Hogan closed his friend's eyes and looked to the others.

"He will need a grave," Thor said softly and Hogan shook his head.

"We will burn him; Mogul killed the scouts, Saguta was left out here for us to find." The grim warrior informed them as he wrapped his late friend up and lifted him in his arms carrying him back to the camp. Moments later the flames of a pyre sent the spirit of Saguta to Valhalla and the group stood by as Hogan mourned quietly. Balder and Fandrel laid the remains of the other scouting party on the flames as well, as Loki, Sif and Volstagg disassembled the tents. They would hide them until they came back to collect them, it was also a precaution in the event that Mogul's men came back to scavenge for anything to use against the remaining villages.

As Loki folded the cloth top off of one he looked over at Thor who was talking to Hogan. The blonde man had clapped a hand on Hogan's shoulder and stated, "We will find Mogul and stop him."

"And I will have revenge for my fallen friends and family," Hogan stated darkly. He stabbed Saguta's sword into the ground to mark the spot as a memorial then placed various items of the lost scout teams gear to memorialize them as well. Having the moment of silence pass the group decided the best course of action was to locate the Wazir, and by that they meant Loki to use a locating spell to help them seek out another magic user, if he was one.

"Should we let them know what we found?" Balder asked Thor as they headed back to their horses.

"Perhaps after we've found Mogul himself," Loki replied before his brother had the chance, "This way we don't have to worry about being taken to task for not being quicker to find them, or some such rubbish from Tyr."

Thor chuckled, "You're still annoyed by his attitude this morning Brother?"

"Well he's a…" Loki started when the woods went silent and everyone went on guard. Slowly, cautiously, they backed into a circle so that their backs were not exposed and to have the best view incase trouble came. Loki slowed his breathing when, after a few moments; nothing seemed to appear and began to sheath his sword. "Well that was a waste of time."

His words got cut short by a loud blast of noise accompanied by a burst of dark purple smoke. Immediately Loki yanked his sword out and moved away along with the others after scrambling away from the spot he was just on, where a figure now appeared. The strange shadow took shape and soon a man stood before them, looking very much like a younger version of King Batukhan. The smoky man smirked at them and Hogan growled, "Mogul!"

"Greeting Warriors of Asgard and son of the late Nassor and Veja, so you seemed to find my little message, how very convenient," Mogul chuckled as he glared down at the group. "How is my brother then? Is he dead yet? If not you can send him this message. He can surrender the crown to me, or see the rest of his people die, just as these men, and the people of his city did."

"Coward," roared Hogan as he advanced, "Fight me!"

Lunging at the smoke man Hogan screamed as he brought his mace down, only to be countered by Thor. The two locked weapons as Hogan stated, "Why do you protect this monster?"

"I do not protect him, Hogan," Thor told him as he pushed Hogan back from the smoky Mogul who grinned evilly at the group. Thor ignored him as he spoke honestly to his new friend, "But you're will for vengeance is great, you're not thinking rationally, let me fight him in your stead."

"Nay Thor Odinson, stay your hand. This is my fight and I will avenge my parents!" Hogan told him, locking eyes with Thor. The two stood there silent, willing the other to back down, but neither was given the chance to determine who would battle Mogul as the villain laughed at the scene that lay before him.

"Fools, return to your dying king and tell him that his land will soon be mine," Mogul smirked and crossed his arms as Thor and Hogan glared up at him. "Pathetic, the son of Odin and a guard's boy, neither of you will best me as I will challenge neither of you. Go, now, and forget this insane quest, for it will all end in failure since you will never find the Mystic Mountain!"

With a sudden flash that blinded them all Mogul was gone leaving them in the snowy woods alone once more. Hogan screamed in anger and hit the ground, cursing the man that had destroyed his kingdom. He raised his fist to hit the ground again and again, when Volstagg stepped in to stop him. The younger man looked at the old warrior and asked bluntly, "Why do you not go back to Tyr and Frey to inform them about what has happened?"

"Because, Hogan, that's not what friends do," Volstagg told him and helped the younger man up. "Didn't I tell you when we first met that you're a good man to have as a friend?"

Hogan gave a nod and looked to the others, "And you all wish to continue with me?"

"Of course," Sif told him as the others nodded in agreement, "It would be silly of us to just let you deal with this mad man alone. He not only hurt your people but our people as well. We won't allow you to travel this path alone."

"Here here," Fandrel echoed as the others agreed to help Hogan achieve his goal. Hogan's look of shock morphed into one of humble gratitude as he bowed to them, then returned to his normal grim face.

"Then we must make our way hastily to find the Wazir, I heard he lives farther into the mountains. Legend has it that he once worked as an advisor for King Batukhan's ancestor," Hogan told them as they rushed to gather the horses and mount.

"If that's the case then he must be ancient," Fandrel commented as they lead their horse back around and Loki started to dig in his bag for something to use. "Do you think that he's even alive?"

"If he's not then we're going to have to find another means of hunting this killer down," Sif said seriously as Loki yanked out a strange set of small sticks that could fit in the palm of his hand. There were four altogether, two in the shape of a cross and two in the shape of an X, bound together making what looked like an eight sided compass with the top stick having its tip painted gold.

"Let's just hope we don't have to," Loki muttered as he began to concentrate on the strange item and watched as it floated just above the center of his palm. He held his hand out before him and chanted something under his breath, willing the strange magic device to locate another magic user. For a while it just hovered there then suddenly it spun in Loki's hand and pointed North East of where they were at.

"This way," Loki motioned to the others and started off in the lead followed quickly by Hogan, Thor and then the others. As they raced through the snow the compass moved around in Loki's hand, leading them this way and that in various directions. Each time the compass moved he felt a tug on his arm, like a rope had coiled its way around him and was pulling him in the very direction that it wanted him to go, a proverbial puppet on a string. Loki hated this part of the spell, sometimes the magic user was far stronger than he was and the sensation caused him pain. There would be phantom marks on his arm for weeks, psychically left scars from the other magic user that would burn him until they wore away with time and some healing.

* * *

The ride was a quick one, and they flew over the mountain trail, trying to catch the fastest root. Hogan was the best person for the job of guide, when Loki felt lost by the spell's directional pull, Hogan was quick to jump in and point out a route that they could easily use. The only trouble was when they hit steep climbs where taking their mounts became a struggle, and then there was the wall. A giant rock slide in the distance past had left a wall of boulders that lead up to a small bluff far above the forest. This was where the needle was pointing and so the group needed to climb, something Loki had hoped to avoid.

"Are you sure there's no way up there that's easier?" Loki asked Hogan as he pulled his pack off his steed and hefted it on his back. The grim one shook his head.

"Easier, yes, faster, no; it would take us several days to go around the pass that leads up to that bluff," Hogan pointed out the trail. "Better to just head up then try to go around."

Loki gave a snort, he could just as quickly teleport them up, but he wanted to save his magic for a later use, namely getting them out of a bad situation. The start of the climb wasn't difficult, Hogan and Fandrel leading the charge up and around the boulders at the bottom. However things became increasingly more difficult as they moved up the wall, discovering foot holds became a chore, and Loki was beginning to wish they had just gone around. The rocks at the top seemed too loose and Fandrel had said, even with Loki's magic guiding it would be nearly impossible to get an arrow to the top and connect with something solid to allow them the ability to climb up.

"How much farther," Balder soon inquired, Loki was thankful someone other than himself asked the question that had been ruminating in his mind.

"Not so much there shouldn't be a …" Hogan was saying when a thunderous roar exploded from above and Sif pushed Loki to the wall as several rocks fell past them.

"Thanks," the younger god said to her and Sif nodded in response. Looking up she asked Thor, who was just ahead of them.

"What was that?"

"I'm not sure, but whatever it was it was loud…Look Out!" Thor shouted down as more rubble came crashing down around them. Loki clung tightly to the wall and began to mutter a spell to cover everyone in a protective bubble. Looking up he caught Thor waving thanks to him as the blonde climbed higher and the others followed in suit. Eventually Loki caught up to him, after Hogan, and Fandrel. Balder joined the prince's side and pulled his sword from his sheath after he saw what was before them.

A large, imposing, green Jinn was hovering over a smaller Cyclops and lashed out at the smaller creature with one enormous hand. Its fingers dug into the ground as it tossed the Cyclops head over heels, knocking rocks free, and sending them cascading over the side where they had been previously climbing. Fandrel quirked an eyebrow as he remarked, "Well at least that explains the warm welcome we were getting."

"Why's a Jinn here? I thought they existed in Hindi only," Balder asked as Loki watched with a greedy grin slowly creeping on his face. Where ever it was from Loki did not care, what he did care about was the fact that it did existed and that it was that powerful. It was the perfect tool, something he could use when he needed to, and something that could help shape his magic in ways that he could only dream of. The group quickly split up, finding hiding places where they could. Loki and Balder slipped behind a large fallen tree that was covered in fresh snow, keeping their heads low they listened to the sounds of the war that was being waged between the two powerful entities.

"I'm not sure, but it seems to be causing major damage," Volstagg muttered as he joined them. Loki glanced at him and motioned.

"Where did it come from?"

"I'm not sure," Volstagg said as he ducked flying rubble that came from the crash of the Cyclops. "But that doesn't matter, what does is that it's beating up on that defenseless monster."

Loki looked out from behind the fallen tree they were crouching behind to see the Cyclops stand up, pound it's chest, and roar at the Jinn, then charge it swinging it's mighty fists at the floating green creature. The contact was hard enough to send the Jinn spinning into another wall of the mountain, and leave an impression. Loki carefully crouched down and whispered loudly.

"If that's defenseless I'd like to know your idea of a powerful monster."

Volstagg laughed, but his laughter was cut off by the scream of the Cyclops. The trio peeked over their cover to see the Cyclops being held in the air, and electrocuted by magic over and over to the point that Loki didn't know how it would survive. Something stupid hit him then, he didn't know why but he felt sorry for the Cyclops and before he could stop himself, Loki sent a blast of magic out at the Jinn's hand, causing it pain, enough to drop the Cyclops unceremoniously on the ground. From his vantage point Loki could tell that the one eyed giant was still breathing, but clearly it was unconscious. Feeling a yank on his cloak, Loki was pulled down and Balder gave him a wide eyed expression.

"You just shot it!"

"I noticed," Loki intoned sarcastically. He glanced at Volstagg who was watching as the flying monster was actively trying to heal its hand.

"What are we going to do now?" Balder asked giving him a look that read, 'Fine mess you got us into.'

"I don't know, maybe it will think it was done by the Cyclops," Loki was saying as Volstagg inched down, with his back to the trunk. It was then that the large tree was levitated and the trio looked up at a rather angry Jinn who was holding the dead tree over its head. Loki blinked for a moment, "Then again, maybe not."

The Jinn roared and was about to release the tree upon them, when it screamed with pain, allowing the three men to scatter from the spot and find better cover. Loki noticed an arrow in its side and saw it came from Fandrel who had perched up in a tree and made a lucky shot. Racing over to a rock Loki saw the Jinn turn his attention to the blonde and would have been happy to have left him to his own devices, if not for the nagging feeling that if he did, someone would guilt him about it later. Turning on his heels, Loki crafted an energy ball and hurtled it at the Jinn's back sending its attention back upon him.

_He better repay me for that_, the young prince thought as he ran away from the blast that soon followed. The Jinn was in no mood to play and Loki dodged as it's nails raked the ground, barely missing being cleaved by large jagged black nails. He crawled back towards a spot and covered his head as the Jinn's fist came down at him. Loki heard Thor's scream as the clenched fist hit the ground sending a shockwave through the earth. The Jinn looked confused as it raised its clenched hand to see no stains from the dead body it was sure should have been there. Loki peeked out from behind a large bolder where he was hiding, much to the relief of Thor as he called back his non-corporal duplicate.

The Jinn turned away from the mischief maker to focus its attention now on Balder who was trying to see if the Cyclops was alive. Loki cursed that the boy couldn't help being soft hearted about wounded animals, which was what he counted the Cyclops as. Thankfully Hogan had noticed this and was on the flying monster fast, leaping from his hiding place among some lower branches, and smashing his mace into the Jinn's shoulder. The action caused pain to the beast and Balder used the moment to slash at him, sending the Jinn back and away from him.

"Ho ho! Have at him then! Let's see what he's got!" Volstagg cried as he rushed the monster who was now punching the ground around Volstagg, who dodged and hit back at the arm and hand. Fandrel kept releasing arrows at the Jinn, aiming for the head, trying to blind it, but the attacks kept being blocked by a field around the monsters face. Loki soon saw Sif join in the battle attacking with her sword, getting boosted up by Hogan and Volstagg who threw her up in the air where she was able to stab into the Jinn's shoulder, cutting into his skin. She held on as the monster swung back and forth in throws trying to knock her off, which he eventually did, and she landed as gracefully as she could.

"I guess I should join in," Loki muttered to himself and rushed in to help as Thor caught the monster on its hand with a hard slash that cut down the center of its palm. Crying out in pain the Jinn flew up and Loki unleashed a fire spell to burn its chest, forcing it to come down from higher air that made the flames expand. Things seemed to be going well for the group as it battled the Jinn, which kept laying on physical attacks. That was until Loki noticed something odd. With each hit they placed upon it, the Jinn seemed to glow brighter and brighter in color. This worried him and he began to wonder if it was charging. He didn't have long to wonder because a second later the Jinn unleashed a gigantic electric attack that paralyzed everyone causing them to drop to the ground.

Loki barely could lift his head, his body felt so weak, but his mind was wide awake. He screamed, his body hurt beyond anything he'd ever felt before, a million knives were stabbing into every inch of his skin and he couldn't stop them. Near him he could see the others writhing in the same pain and noticed the Jinn floating over them getting ready for another attack. He closed his eyes, fearing that it was the end, hoping that he'd wind up in Valhalla at the very least. Above he could hear the sound of thunder rumbling and found that a bit odd. He could also feel the magic in the air growing; suddenly he was scared; he didn't want to die like this. He had so much he had to do, so many skills to learn, not to mention his toy. Why he was even thinking of Sigyn at the moment, he didn't know, but that thought kept him from going crazy. He fought to raise his hand, and a new thought came to him. It wasn't really a thought but an image, Mjolnir, sitting dutifully in a case. It was singing for Thor, and he knew it, but it seemed to need a little help getting there. Loki knew the moment that Thor touched it the hammer would always find a way back to him. He hesitated for a second, and then altered his spell and in the glass case in the armory a small teleportation circle appeared allowing the hammer to vanish.

An instant later the sky turned black as Loki felt himself give in to the Jinn's spell. He could sense the creature's confusion, and a smirk slipped onto his lips. It was painful, but worth it as he heard the exploding crash of lighting strike the ground around his fallen brother and the subsequent sound of Thor holding the hammer above him sending blasts from it to jolt the spell off of them. Loki pushed his weakened body up and saw his brother flying in the air with the hammer in hand, his face determined and his blue eyes sparking with anger and honor. That was the first moment that Loki honestly felt true fear of Thor and jealously of him.

Watching with the others Loki saw Thor rise above the Jinn, and the Jinn attack over and over with blasts aiming to kill him. But Mjolnir blocked each attack, with the ease of swatting a bug, and when Thor reached a certain height he fell, suddenly and quickly. Screaming through the air, the hammer before him like a mighty fist, lighting exploding all around him, Thor fell at the Jinn who was racing up to meet him with an angry blast of magic. To Loki's shock he saw Thor break through the magic and crack the Jinn in the face, then pummel him over and over with the Hammer shouting, "For those fallen by Mogul! For Hogan's Family! For the people of Asgard! For my Friends! For My Brother! For LADY SIF! I shall not give you Mercy!"

The Jinn could barely block any hit, and those that he did Thor managed to undermine by blasting him with energy from the storm that now erupted from the sky. Loki watched, standing there soaked as Thor and the Jinn battled for eternity until finally with one mighty blow to the head, Thor sent his foe falling from the heavens with a mighty crash. Balder and Fandrel moved to secure the creature, only to see it dissipate in a puff of smoke and Thor land. He looked exhausted but happy, and rushed to embrace Sif.

This touching moment was broken up by Volstagg who hurried over to hug both in a large bear hug. Thor laughed as he was let go and looked to the others. Fandrel whooted and Balder embraced him in a brotherly hug. Loki soon joined in and was surprised when Thor hugged him as well.

"Are you well brother?" Thor asked earnestly still holding Loki's shoulders, "I feared that I had lost you along with Sif and the others."

"Nay, I am fine," he told Thor, trying to make the situation seem lighter then it truly was. He didn't mention the images he'd seen, and decided to inquire more as to what happened to Thor with the hammer.

"I don't rightly know," Thor admitted as the clouds began to dissipate and the rain vanished leaving them all sopping wet. "But I hope that I learn to control that, we don't need a rain storm every time."

"Aye, I don't think my clothing and arrows could take it," laughed Fandrel as he emptied his Quiver of water. Looking over at the Cyclops the archer asked quickly, "Do you think he's alright?"

"Aye, but he's still knocked out," Balder started to say when the Cyclops's eye opened and it grunted at them. Balder moved back and stood on guard as the creature seemed to get ready to attack. Balder held his hands up to the Cyclops in a good will gesture and it raised its hand, only to take a swat at him.

"I don't think he's the friendly sort," Fandrel stared as they prepared to get into another fight. Thankfully this was averted by the timely sound of rocks shifting and a cave entrance appearing in the rocks. Loki watched amazed as the formation became a round archway, and showed no indication of being shifted, as if it had been expertly carved and had been there originally. From this cavern strolled a half-naked old man, with a long white beard, balding and as well defined as any of the warriors in his presence. Around his waist was an orange waist skirt that gave him free movement, although his legs and feet were bear, and it seemed that there were scars from age old battles. In his hand was a tall wooden staff, and when he addressed them his voice was very strong but tinged with a hint of tiredness.

"Warriors of Asgard, were you the ones that woke me from my slumber? Were you the ones that attacked my guardian Ogur?" He leaned on his stick, his gray eyes watching them and then looking over to the Cyclops he added, "Were these the ones that defeated you, old friend?"

"No, we were not," Thor said moving to talk to the old man, who raised his hand to stay the young prince.

"I asked you if you were the ones that roused me from my slumber young Prince of the Aesir," the old man looked to Ogur, who was now sitting up, clearly still dizzy, but he was able to look at the people before him with clear eyes. The old man again asked Ogur his question and to Loki's surprised the beast spoke clearly and in a refined way, as dignified as a court noble.

"No, they came after. The one that fought me has left, a Jinn, my lord," said Ogur. The elderly man turned his head to stare at Thor, regarding the younger man and slowly his eyes moved down to the hammer at Thor's side.

"I've seen visions of that hammer, yes," the old man intoned and looked up at Thor's face rubbing his bearded chin. "You are the god of thunder are you not, Thor Odinson?"

"Nay, that title has not been bestowed upon me," Thor started to say and the old man's wrinkled face folded as he smiled in a knowing way.

"So you say, why then are you here?" the wise man asked as he took a seat on a rock. Hogan stepped forward then and bowed. The man raised a bushy eyebrow at him and observed him keenly before speaking again. "You are one of the members of Batukhan's guard are you not?"

"Yes, I am Hogan, son of Nassor and Vaja," again Hogan bowed to the man who nodded his aged head. "I came seeking the Wazir."

The old man carefully crossed his arms and tilted his head curiously to one side observing Hogan, "And why do you seek him?"

"I wish to find Mogul of Mystic Mountain." Hogan told the old man and clenched his fist, "I wish to find him so I may avenge my fallen family and people. Mogul has taken all from me; I wish to bring him to justice for his actions."

The old man stared at Hogan for a long while, before slowly breathing out a long sigh of resignation.

"You are on a quest for revenge then?" He shook his head, "I cannot give you the location."

"Not revenge good Father," Balder quickly interjected and the old man looked at him. With the man watching Balder the younger man licked his lips as he carefully chose his words. He held out his hands and gestured to get his point across as he spoke. "Hogan is not looking for revenge for the sake of revenge. His people were slaughtered in an unprovoked attack."

"Is this so?" the Wiseman asked Hogan who gave a short nod. The old man scowled and stomped his staff on the ground, "Speak! Do not let others speak for you. You have a voice, use it, compel me to hear your story Hogan the Grim."

"Hogan the grim?" Fandrel chuckled to Loki and Sif, "Then call me Fandrel the dashing."

"I will then," smirked Sif and Fandrel's face seemed to fluctuate between pleased, confused and fallen all in a matter of moments. Loki, although amused by the entertaining displace of Fandrel's quick change expressions, chose to focus on the old man and Hogan who seemed not displeased by his new name.

"My people were at peace, a diplomatic act had come from the Elves of Alfheim to meet with us. While in a meeting with the God Frey, we were suddenly, without warning, furiously attacked by a large snow beast that crashed through our defenses." Hogan explained as the man stood leaning on his staff listening to every detail. Hogan explained the arrival of Thor and Loki, how the group had defeated a second attack by these strange beasts. He continued on about the more recent attack, how the city had fallen and it seemed that the King was going to die. He remarked about the scouts, how Saguta had died in his arms, and how the King Batukhan believed it to be Mogul's doing.

The old man stood there in silence, his brow furrowed, and then he raised his head and held his hand up to Hogan, "I see your plight. Yes you are full of anger for this man, but you do not choose to attack those that serve him, as they did not harm you. Your wish to avenge your friends is noble, and I shall help you."

The old man walked towards the cave, motioning the others to follow. Hogan was right behind him followed by Thor and Balder; Loki brought up the rear this time and noticed Volstagg sitting on the rock that the old man had perched on. Ogur was resting now on the ground, his head on his arms, sleeping off the beating he had just taken.

"Aren't you coming?" Loki inquired surprised that Volstagg was going to sit out there. The red head smiled and chortled shaking his plumed head, sending the feather flying this way and that.

"Not I, I think I shall stay out here and keep watch. We don't need any more magical creatures coming to bother us," Volstagg chuckled as Loki gave a quick nod and hurried along into the cave. The cavern itself was actually rather comfortable, a large set of covers acted as a door to block out winds and cold that came from the outside when the entrance was open. In the center of the room there was a large woven rug in the shape of a circle, rocks carved into stools with pillows placed upon them acted like chairs, while other pillows were around the ground for sitting. A table was set to one corner and small decorative carvings, flowers and dry fruits hung from the ceiling and were placed in the nooks in the walls. A stone fireplace was opposite the entrance and in the left corner near the fire was a hole in the wall that Loki noticed had a cover. The old man stoked the fire, inviting them to drink, as he set out warm milk on his table and then slipped through the curtain that covered the hole; Loki guessed that was to another room or rooms that the old man had made in the cave.

Once the man came back carrying a large scroll he set it down and sat before the table, back to the fire.

"Well then, sons of Odin, Hogan son of Nassor, and fellow warriors, I see you wish to all defeat Mogul then?"

The members of the group slowly nodded their heads, although Loki was sure that this was some sort of test. He carefully blew the steam off his drink and sipped as the old man asking bluntly, "So are you the Wazir we heard about from Saguta?"

The old man smiled and looked up at him with critical gray eyes.

"It seems you have questions now, do you young Prince Loki Odinson," he folded his long fingers between each other, and Loki couldn't help but think of a spider when it was defensive while lying on its back. His eyes smirked at the mischief maker, "Inquisitive are you not, but yes I am the one that you seek."

"I figured as much," Loki caught Fandrel saying to Thor who nudged him. The Wazir cast his gaze around the room and spoke calmly.

"I am the latest in a long line of Wazir's, when the time comes for me to pass on, a new Wazir will come up here and we shall talk. I shall impart to him all the knowledge I have gathered, as the Wazir before bestowed upon me, and then he shall go out into the world and learn new knowledge only to return here in the last days of my life. I shall die, and he shall take my place. But my time has not come yet, and you are here to seek out knowledge correct?"

"Aye," Balder said softly, clearly in revere of the old Wiseman. "We need to find the one called Mogul."

"I see, and do you know who this man is?" Questioned the Wazir as he laid out the scroll before them, his withered hands smoothed the cloth and Loki saw painted images of mountains and dragons. He blinked and moved closer to the long scroll, as he did so he saw that the images were moving. Clouds circled a peak, water rippled down a stream, and trees waved in a silent breeze.

"No, it does not matter," Hogan started to say but the old Wazir held up his hand to shut the younger man up.

"Ah but it does, for this is not a simple task." He looked down at the images and seemed to go into a slight trance as he spoke. The others joined Loki in watching as the images danced along with the story the old man told.

"They say that the All Father and his brothers created the heavens and the worlds, but in this time there were many things that they did not create. The mountains and lands to the south were not created by their hands; no they were created by the dragon lords. Ancient beasts that sought a place of peace, far from the violence of Midgard, it was here in Asgard that they found a home and it was here that their worshipers followed them.

"The Lords took on the form of humans after centuries of worship, wishing to stay among their people," the Wazir told them as he moved the scroll along showing snake like dragons moving people into the mountains. Loki watched as the dragons made their home up in the mountains. "They say that some did not wish to join the people so they left and became other creatures that inhabited the various kingdoms. But the first of many dragon lords soon came to enjoy their time with their people and some married humans giving birth to children. These children became the first rulers of your Kingdom Hogan."

Hogan watched the cloth as it moved, "I have heard this tail many times as a child. There was a tapestry in the palace much like this, which depicted the events you speak of. But I do not see how this helps us find Mogul."

"Patience, warrior, one needs patience and time to understand. If one rushes haphazardly into the fray then one shall fail and fall," he moved his hands over the scroll as it unrolled more, "Much like how the All Father failed in a fight with the Dragon Lord Yeshe."

"Father fought a Dragon Lord? When?" Thor asked rather surprised and Loki raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like his father to hide such things from them, especially when it came to fights even one he lost, but it did explain the look he'd seen Odin give earlier when Tyr, Amora and Lorelei had first arrived.

"When he was simply known as Odin Borson, he came here to speak with Yeshe, however in that time he was a hot headed fool and expected the Dragon Lord to lay down her weapons to his mighty power, but sadly that is not what happened," Wazir told them and motioned to the scroll which now depicted a mighty battle between a massive Dragon, one that looked like the green giant that Loki saw the night before, and his father.

"Their battle was epic in scope and lasted forty nights, until Odin's brother Ve intervened and stopped the two from battling, before the Dragon Lord took your young father's head off in a mighty bite. Peace was brought about, and Odin left with his brothers. Soon after Yeshe had a child, and that child became the new Dragon Lord and so the line carried on down," Wazir moved the scroll more until they could see generations of Dragon Lords taking their place as Kings, and also the slow decline of the people. Loki tilted his head at this and the Wazir was quick to answer the silent question he didn't ask, "The people, coming from Midgard were not as long lived as those that they worshiped, and only those that had the blood of the Aesir that came to trade managed to live as long. In time the population dwindled and the Dragon Lord decided to move his people up to the mountains. Here in the snow he found protection from wars and peace for his people.

"Eventually the knowledge and memory of the Dragon Lord and his people faded, and only the oldest of the old in Asgard recalled them," Wazir moved the cloth even farther to show a red dragon, a green dragon and a blue dragon. "Normally the Dragon Lord has one child, but in the case of Xitan, he had three: Mogul, Batukhan, and Sherzada. Batukhan was the eldest born with a clear sense of honor and nobility, Sherzada was loyal and truthful, and Mogul was powerful and hopeful. Because these three are part of the same one, when one dies, the other two shall die as well. "

"Wait! You mean to say that this Mogul is actually the brother of the King?" Fandrel asked surprised and the Wazir nodded. He folded up the scroll and then stared at Hogan.

"Mogul has long wished to rule in your King's stead. Several years ago he came to me seeking a way of replacing his brother; I told him what I tell you now. Only the will of the Dragon will succeed in this and your will is not the will that is wanted." The Wizar slowly pulled himself from his kneeling position and stood, holding his staff. "Mogul wishes to destroy and purge the world so that he may recreate his people in the image that he sees fit."

"And you did not stop him?" Hogan growled at the old man, his fists clenched angrily, "My parents died because you did not stop him from choosing this path."

"It was not my place to stop him, it was the path he chose, as you now choose your path, Hogan son of Nassor," the Wizar told him. He walked out around the table and stood in the middle of the room. "Knowing what you know now, do you still wish to go and fight Mogul?"

Hogan stood there quietly for a moment, his eyes down cast and deep in thought. Then, raising his eyes to meet with the Wazir, he gave a hard nod and the old man bobbed his head twice, clearly pleased with the young warriors resolve.

"Very well," he hit his staff upon the floor and motioned the others in the room to gather around him. Holding up the staff to them he bade them to listen. "Mogul now dwells in Mystic Mountain; the location is secret unto those who do not have the divine sight. Only those with the will can make it into his fortress. I can teach you how to get there and the location, but finding and defeating him, that is up to you."

Wazir held out his staff to them, Hogan, Thor and Fandrel quickly stepped forward each taking hold of the wooden staff. Loki watched as the old man held the staff for a moment, closed his eyes then opened them imbuing his knowledge into the wood. When he let go the trio of warriors were shocked, and their eyes went wide as if seeing the world for the first time. After a moment the Wazir took back the staff and solemnly said, "You now know where Mogul's mountain is. May the spirits go with you, and guide you with peace and good fortune."

"Many thanks I give to thee, good Wazir," Thor bowed to the old man who returned the gesture. Hogan on the other hand stood there and spoke with the old man in his native lounge allowing Loki to question the duo that now joined Sif, Balder and himself in waiting on the side.

"So what did you find out?"

"Well, to be honest, I can't rightly say," Fandrel said and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It was strange, felt like someone put their fingers inside my head and massaged it for a bit."

"Someone put their fingers in your head…" Sif gave him a galling look and looked to Thor for a better answer. "Surely there is more to it than that?"

"Aye there was," Thor said and smiled tenuously at the thoughts that ran through his mind. "It was not exactly painful, but there was no pleasantness about how we gathered the location. Mogul, as he is now, is far more dangerous than he appears, yet all that we were able to see was a castle that glittered with magic's that even Loki could not master."

Loki raised his brow at this and smirked, "Could not brother? Don't be stupid, given time I can master any magic that is set forth before me, and then make it my own."

"Your ego is showing Loki," Sif stated dryly and Loki crossed his arms looking at Hogan. Returning her attention to Thor, the lady warrior inquired, "Do you know the way then? Is there a way in?"

"Aye, though it seems odd that such a large place would be so hard to find. Mogul must have spent years hiding it with enchantments." Thor intoned darkly as he scowled some in thought.

"True, but we do have a magic breaker right here," Fandrel smiled at Loki who gave him a kind gesture of thanks in turn. Moments later, after Hogan had said his final farewell to the Wazir the warriors returned to the caves entrance only to find Volstagg sleeping on his rock. With one swift firm, but gentle, kick from Thor the older man was roused from his sleep. Loki rolled his eyes as Volstagg dusted himself off standing up from his seat.

"Well now that was quick."

"We were gone long enough that you decided to take a nap?" Sif teased and Volstagg humphed trying to play it off as being annoyed.

"Now see here Lady Sif, I was not napping I was putting on a ruse you see."

"A ruse?" Balder asked smiling as Thor laughed.

"Aye," puffed Volstagg sticking out his mighty chest, hands at his hips. "A ruse indeed, you see if any attackers were to come this way, I could have the drop on them. After all they would never expect a sleeping man to attack them."

"You mean they would have the drop on you my friend," Thor teased and the others laughed merrily at the sputters and flusters of Volstagg as he tried to cover up what obviously had happened. Loki, in-spite of himself, found he was smiling some at the scene and felt a tad envious that, while he was friends with the group, was still on the outskirts looking in. A sudden gust of wind rattled some trees, and he looked back to see that the cave was now sealed. Shrugging he turned his attention to the sky and saw the clouds moving swiftly, thick with snow, and ready to head down and away towards other parts of Asgard.

_The snow must be coming towards the city as well,_ he thought with a slight bitterness. The trees would have the last of their leaves beginning to fall soon, and he knew that Iduun could not stay with the apples once the frost hit. Loki found the fact that he was thinking of all this odd. Normally he didn't care about the people he toyed with, or if he did, it was in an off handed manner that over time waned into disinterest. However he found himself thinking of the young Sigyn and the look on her face when he last saw her the day before he left with Bragi. Her wrist by now would be healed enough to the point where she could travel, and he was sure that Iduun would be sending her back by her mother.

"Wait for me, snow stay your hand, just so that I can see her face before she leaves," Loki whispered on the winds, hoping that, somehow, his small prayer would find its way back to her and maybe hold the weather off until he could return. Having done this he heard the shouts from his brother, and quickly joined them in their excursion back down the bluff.


	17. Chapter 17: And Loki gets a Jinn

**A/N: Well this took me forever to write. I apologize if it's not the best writing I could do. Given that I had to fit in a full comic story into these last couple of chapters, and I'm sorry if they seem long or dull. There are reasons behind them being written, mostly to set stuff up for later. Thank you to all the people that have been reading. **

_Copyright: Loki, Thor and all others are owned by Marvel comics. _

* * *

It was a strange moment, like some sort of dream, one minute she was sitting in the parlor of her sister's home listening to the sounds of Bragi reciting to Iduun and some guests, the next she could hear Loki's voice in her ear, speaking to her as if he was right there. Sigyn got up and looked around, checking the windows, behind the curtains and anywhere the young trickster could be. The whisper had made her blush for it felt just like a kiss on the cheek, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. On the one hand it had given her a warm sensation that slipped down her back and yet there was a feeling of slight anxiety that ran through her blood.

Deciding it was nothing she sat back down and tried to read, but the sensation of his breath on her skin lingered and she soon was in a slight sleep dreaming of their first encounter.

* * *

"So, this is the fortress of Xanadu?" Fandrel had his hands on his hips and was looking around the empty snowy field. He shook his head, blonde curls tossing the snow away from his face. "I would have thought it, more populated?"

"Aye, this can't be right," Sif muttered as she paced about the clearing. They had been riding through the night from the cave, and now at dawns light the band of adventures had found the location of Mogul's mighty fortress, the great castle called Xanadu. Thor, Fandrel and Hogan had informed them of the name as they had climbed down from the bluff of the Wazir. They had seen Mogul talking to several of his own warriors and had proclaimed that their strong hold would be called Xanadu after a creature of legend. Yet, there was nothing to be found. No castle, no fort, not even ruins to show a structure had stood there once before. It was a clear, white, field of nothing, and for Hogan, clearly a great frustration.

"The Wazir tricked us!" Hogan slammed his mace to the ground, anger pouring out of his eyes as he glared at his hands. "He must have been working with Mogul to send us the wrong way."

"I don't believe that's entirely true," Loki said coolly as he held out his magic compass. It kept floating in the same spot, but not giving a direction. "There's clearly magic here, of which kind I don't know, but I don't think the man intentionally steered us wrong."

"You would say that sorcerer, you're kind sticks together regardless of the truth," Hogan poked him in the chest and Loki flinched some. The young man was stronger than he looked. Thor was standing off the side, arms crossed and deep in thought.

"I don't believe the Wazir lied to us Hogan; neither do I think he's in league with Mogul."

Hogan waved his hand around, "There is nothing here Odinson! Do you see anything that could lead us into this fortress that we saw in our vision?"

"Nay, but what if we're not looking or seeing what we're supposed to," Thor intoned slowly and picked up Mjolnir.

"What do you mean by that?" Fandrel inquired as he checked his sword for damages. Thor walked over to Loki and grabbed his brother by the shoulder. Without a word the older prince guided the trickster around the field in a circle seeking out something.

"Brother just what are you doing?" Loki inquired as his compass twisted and turned in his hand. "You're not making any sense."

"Don't worry, it will after we find what I'm looking for," Thor pushed him this way and that gently, using Loki as a human dosing rod. Loki raised his eyebrow as if to ask something, but then Thor stopped and smiled seeing the compass glowing and hovering again, then with one step it turned and faced behind the brothers.

"What in the name of the All Father are you doing Thor?" Loki heatedly asked, finally annoyed as much as Hogan looked. He shoved the compass away as Thor walked over to where they had just been and took his hammer up with a grin.

"Didn't I just tell you, we were not looking or seeing what we were supposed to? He's hidden it, I think, and hopefully I'm right."

With one mighty swing of Mjolnir Thor smashed against something that rippled like water. Loki stared at the strange vibrations and Hogan was the first to comment.

"A wall of invisibility, but how," He pressed his fingers against the surface where Mjolnir struck and Thor smiled as he twisted the hammer around in his hand.

"My honest guess, it had something to do with that Jinn that we saw at the Wazir's place," Balder intoned and knocked the back of his hand against the glass like wall. Thor nodded and got the hammer ready again.

"Well, regardless if it is the jinn's doing or not, we do have a Mogul to find," he wholloped the wall and this time a crack appeared. Hogan pressed forward and glimpsed inside. A serious nod from his head indicated that there was something in there. Taking out his dagger the grim one stabbed in the crack and pried at it, it wasn't long before a hole was made and the others could see inside. There was no sun here, only darkness, and the only light came from the strange glowing castle in the distance. Loki raised an eyebrow as he peered in with the others.

"Seems a bit much to protect just one fortress, don't you think?"

"Aye, but that doesn't matter at the moment, we've found it, and now we will avenge those that fell at Mogul's hands," Thor told him as Loki backed up for Hogan, who was now raining blows with his mace upon the glass wall to shatter an entrance. With one final smash the glass cracked enough to allow the group to slip through, sideways, and one at a time. Loki found the whole thing to be rather annoying. Mogul clearly didn't want to be found, though they had found him, and he had to have set up traps or at least alarms to warn of trespassing. In the dark Loki felt as if eyes were watching him, and he kept his sword hand at the ready to pull and slash should anything attack, friend or foe.

Moving quietly, and cautiously the team wound their way along a path that lead down towards the fortress. The farther they got from the crack the less light illuminated the pathway, and soon Loki found himself gripping onto Fandrel's quiver to keep track of where they were going. The light from the fortress, though quite bright, was no were near enough to cut into the darkness that surrounded and enveloped them.

"Once we get in there, what's the plan?" Balder whispered to Hogan and Thor who were in the lead. Hogan looked back retorting.

"There is no plan, we will find him and I will fight him one on one."

Fandrel clapped the younger man on the shoulder and shook his head, "You will not fight alone Hogan, the grim. We shall help you."

"Aye, you are like a brother to us now," Thor smiled brightly at Hogan who genuinely looked surprised by their promises. He bowed his head and furrowed his brow, but gave a direct nod, clearly touched by their words.

Volstagg smiled and firmly put his arms around the three young warriors, "Aye Thor speaks true. You are now our great ally Hogan, and have shown yourself to be worthy of being a true warrior in the vein of your parents." He gave them hard pats on the back and then poised himself, one foot on a large rock and pointed to the fortress ahead. "Onward my friends, to glory and victor…"

His speech was cut short by the resounding _KRACKATHOOM_ from a cannon blast, which exploded the ground not even two meters from them. The group ducked and covered, Fandrel shouting that it was an ambush.

"How could they have known that we were coming?" Balder shouted as more cannon fire pocketed the ground around the band of heroes.

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't matter," Thor shouted back shaking his and looking out around the hole riddled path where they had once been standing. "All that matters now is that they know we're here."

"Aye and shooting cannons at us at that," Fandrel muttered and looked out over the rock where he and Sif had ducked. "What happened to the pleasant welcoming? The old fashioned rolling out the carpet, a fine feast and even finer women to be companions where did that all go?"

"Back where it belongs in the days of the unenlightened," Sif said as a new volley of cannons blasted down upon them. Earth exploded out and the group covered their heads from rocks.

Loki glanced over at his Brother, "What now, oh great leader?"

"We wait to see what they'll do; if they keep firing we stay here. Retreating isn't an option at this point. They know we're here," Thor grimaced as he hunkered down beside Balder and Hogan behind some upturned stones. His eyes closed and he lifted his new hammer, and a slow smile turned his lips upwards. "Or, we can send them back to them."

Balder's brows furrowed as he looked out over the range, "Send them back? How? We don't have a cannon?"

"No but we do have a hammer, and a mace," Sif caught onto Thor's plans and he grinned. She puckered her lips as if tasting something sour. "Are you going to try and send the cannon balls back at them?"

"Well it is better than waiting here while they keep us bunkered down like this, Lady Sif," Fandrel noted as he raised his arrow to send off a few shots into the distance to see if he could hit whoever was firing at them. Loki glanced over at Hogan who was looking at his brother, and Thor's lips slipped into an excited and encouraging grin.

"Are you prepared then Hogan to follow me into the blasts of hell?"

Hogan gave a nod as Thor looked at Loki and the others, "Cover us; we'll get into that fortress, as sure as I am the son of Odin."

Loki got into a ready position and muttered, "Brother, you better be sure of this."

With one last look at the team, Thor leapt up and attacked the first volley from the cannon that came at him. But to his surprise it was no longer iron cannon balls that were coming at them, now it was flaming pieces of wreckage that had been broken apart, shoved down into the gullet of the beast and shot off to rain fire down upon the land around them. Still Thor took up a defensive stance and swung his mighty Mjolnir at the flying fires of doom. With one solid sweep he caught a portion of one of the flying fireballs on the sweet spot of his hammer, much like a batter hitting a baseball. The fireball arched back and to the sender and smashed into the cannon, setting the wooden frame ablaze and scattering the guards that were around it.

Grinning, like a cat that has caught the mouse, Thor repeated his actions over and over. Hogan was soon mirroring his motions battering pieces of flaming trash back to the cannons. Some hit others missed, and in the mean while Loki and Fandrel were supplying ranged attacks to keep the guards from heading towards them with other weapons. Soon they were almost at the gates, less than a mile away from the fortress, when the cannons stopped. The team stood their grounds reading for anything, except what actually approached them. A young man in green and black armor road up to them, he held his head up as if he was royalty, however his appearance seemed to indicate a lower station.

Slowing his horse the man spoke first in his native dialect, two which Hogan spat something in return. The young man raised his eyebrows and turned to Thor, "Hail to you Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard. I shall ask you, since this man is being uncouth about his answer, why are you trespassing on our lands?"

"You know my name, but I know not yours," Thor intoned to the rider who gave a bow.

"I am Alibar, son of Mogul, and head of his army. I ask again, why you are trespassing."

Thor looked a little surprised by this, and Loki was quick to answer rather than wait for the others to rush in. "Your grace then, we came here seeking to speak with your father about the events that occurred in the city our friend Hogan the grim. We believe he may have responsibility for the destruction of it."

Alibar looked at Loki raising his eyebrows, "My father has not been out of his fortress."

"That is a lie!" Hogan shouted at the young noble and pointed his finger in the young man's face, "He may not have left here but he has attacked my people and gravely injured our king! I know this is true for we spoke to him! He appeared before us bragging about it!"

Alibar glared at Hogan, a sneer forming on his young lips, "Such impotence from the likes of a man like you, how dare you insult my Father!"

"How dare he attack my people," Hogan shouted back. Loki watched the back and forth realizing that it would go nowhere and fast. Soon the two men were arguing in their native language and Alibar took several deep breaths before deciding it was best to retreat. He looked to Thor before he left motioning to Hogan.

"I suggest you leave before a fight breaks out."

"I fear we cannot, your Father is wanted for the crimes he committed, and we are here to bring him in." Thor told him and Alibar nodded.

"So be it then, it is a battle that you want, a battle you shall receive," and with that the young noble rode off back to the fortress. Hogan watched him go and looked to the others, walking between them indicating that they should follow and talk among themselves to devise a plan, and quickly.

"We should not have angered him," Loki muttered to them softly as he glanced over at the looming silver gate. "I don't think the Prince is going to be quiet so merciful."

"I would agree with that sentiment," Fandrel said as he glanced at Thor. "So then, ideas, I have a few but I'm not sure if they will work."

"Let's hear them then," Thor indicated and looked back at the city. Loki followed his brother's gaze and noticed from the top most roofs something fly up and off. It wasn't a horse with wings, like the Valkyries owned, but rather some sort of floating piece of cloth. Loki raised his eyebrows and looked at Hogan.

"Do you own flying carpets here?"

"Nay, but those merchants from Hindi do come and sell them often," Hogan stated then narrowed his brows curiously, "why?"

Loki pointed up and said with a monotone, "Well, it seems our quarry may have escaped upon one."

Hogan glanced up and saw the flying object racing over the sky like a bullet. He cursed and started to move to follow, when Thor grabbed him. Shaking his blonde head the thunder god gestured back to the city, "Hold Hogan, we don't know for sure if that was him, and we have pressing matters at hand."

"None more pressing than not following my parents' killer," Hogan rebuffed him and Volstagg quickly pointed out.

"Ah, but even if it was him, how would you bring him down," the red head glanced up to see the carpet hovering just far enough that it had a lead on them, but close enough for whomever was up on it to watch the group below without much trouble. Volstagg looked over at the looming fortress, which seemed to suddenly be abuzz with activity. "Not only that but we have matters to deal with on the ground."

"We still need to get into that fortress," Loki pointed out seriously. "Our task was to find Mogul and bring back the crystal, was it not?"

"If he has it still," Balder noted as Fandrel cleared his throat, he was now leaning on his bow.

"Does anyone want to hear my ideas?"

"Speak then friend, but do so quickly," Volstagg said to him and Fandrel nodded laying out a plan where most of the attacking would be a quick charge and then splitting the groups, taking them down from the distance with magic and arrows. However, as Hogan pointed out, if they were trained as well as the red horsemen had been they would be unpredictable. The group quickly sorted things out as best they could, with the short amount of time that they had. It was Sif's idea that eventually won out. As she pointed out to them there were two tasks at hand, one that needed stealth and one that needed straight on fighting. Her suggestion had been simple yet strategic enough that everyone agreed it would work.

As she explained it, Thor, Fandrel, Hogan, Balder and Volstagg would stay behind and cause a distraction, while Loki would teleport her and himself close to the castle so they could locate the crystal and Mogul.

"Brilliant, dear Sif, couldn't have done better myself," he said smartly and Sif smirked.

"No, you couldn't have," she teased as Loki looked over at the gates from their spot. In the distance he saw the gates flung open and the Prince come riding out, followed by a sea of red monsters on horseback.

"This doesn't look good," he muttered to himself as Thor turned to face the oncoming horde. With a quick nod to Sif Loki created a barrier around the two of them as they ran away from the oncoming group. Thor, with a mighty roar, brought down the lighting to act as a distraction and break apart the oncoming horde of riders. It wasn't long before Loki could see that Fandrel was taking shots and cutting down any that came to close to the group, Hogan rushed in to meet them with his mace, hauling men off their rides and smashing them to dust on the ground, and Balder stood beside Thor acting as a deflector with him to keep the groups from following Loki and Sif.

That was when Loki noticed another peculiarity in the battle, Volstagg wasn't around, and was about to remark to Sif about that, when he heard a familiar whistle and looked towards where the sound came from. Slowly moving the duo edged their way to what Loki assumed to be a tree line, and noticed the flamboyant red plume of Volstagg sticking out from behind a large trunk. Loki scowled and marched over, pulling on the older man's hair, clearly offending Volstagg by doing so.

The Voluminous one rubbed the sore spot on the face, "See here now Loki, what was that for?"

"For being a coward, just what are you doing here?" Loki spat back as Sif got between him and Volstagg, who looked rather menacing for a man of his girth.

"Loki has a point Volstagg; I thought you were going to help Thor and the others with the oncoming army."

"I was Sif," Volstagg sputtered, and gave her a smile, "But then Fandrel suggest I hurry and help you out, in the event that others came after you two."

Loki sniffed some and gave him an aloof look, "I'm sure we can take care of ourselves."

"Aye, but you never know, and three is better than two when fighting," Volstagg countered. Loki realized that this was probably partly true, but at the same time he felt annoyed that his brother and friends didn't believe they could handle it themselves. Not only that, but Loki was sure that with Volstagg there it could cause trouble to his own schemes. Reluctantly he agreed along with Sif to let Volstagg travel with them and glanced back when he heard the first wave of battle. With great speed the trio hurried farther into the darkness, lit by a fire in Loki's hand to give them some semblance of direction. Upon reaching a small clearing he bent down and in the dark snow traced a ruin circle to allow for a quicker way of teleporting.

Volstagg gave the tangled mess of ciphers a glance over and raised an eyebrow to Loki as he motioned for the duo to step inside the circle. Once in there he gripped their arms together then grabbed them both and chanted softly to teleport. The action again made him feel sick, but that was more from the fact that this world didn't seem to like his magic rather than the number of people in his group. They appeared just inside a corridor in the castle, and here they carefully hid themselves as guards rushed past.

Sif looked out, her eyes searching the hall before motioning to Loki and Volstagg to come out of the small storage room they had hid in. Creeping stealthy down the halls the trio, using Loki's compass to indicate where the high magic was to be found, headed for the main hall, something that bothered Volstagg.

"Interesting that we have to head into the mouth of the beast to find out which way to locate the crystal isn't it?"

"Aye, but this isn't the time nor the place to discuss what is and isn't set up to be a trap," Sif pointed out as Loki took the lead from her when she saw a pair of guards blocking their best way out. Without looking at the other two, Loki carefully crept over to the guards and hit them with spells to put them to sleep.

Slipping over the two sleeping lackeys, Loki helped Sif and Volstagg move them aside and prop them up to make it look like they were still at their post, the red haired one chuckled at this, "Well they can't be called for not keeping to their post."

"Yes, but we don't have that much time before the spell wears off, we have to hurry," Loki was blunt and turned to head down the hall to a set of stairs that lead to the grand hall. The trio was surprised by the quiet, and Loki quickly set up a spell to distill their footsteps so that if it was a trap the guards couldn't hear them. Looking around the room Sif motioned to him and Volstagg in a hasty manner at a door that was connected to the hall. Loki shook his head, "Too obvious, that probably leads to the dining hall."

Volstagg raised his eyebrows, "Well since we're here why not sample what they have to eat?"

Sif gave him a long stare as he sighed, "Perhaps another time."

"So then we find a door that might not be obvious, but why are we looking for such a thing Loki?" Sif asked him as they split up to search the hall very carefully. Loki picked up a pot and ran his hand over the surface of the table and then over the pot itself looking for a button, or switch as he explained.

"From what I've gathered this Mogul is not a man that likes to keep things in plain sight. He used a spell or something to kill the scouting party, and then used the Jinn it seems to attack us and make him appear before us. If, legend serves me right, then this Jinn only offers three wishes. If he has used two up, then he doesn't want anyone using it for the third and no doubt wherever the Jinn is at, that's where Mogul is."

Sif nodded and lifted a tapestry up to search the walls, while Volstagg was running his hand over the floors. Through the castle echoed the muffled fire of the cannon and the obvious rumble of battle. Loki kept watching the stairs and halls above them; if anyone came he would know. Looking over at Sif he asked, "Any luck on your side."

"None," she shook her head and stood up from the crouching position she was in, and dusted her hands. "What bothers me more is the fact that there seems to be no one here other than the guards we saw."

"Aye, that is a bit of a problem," Volstagg said as he pushed himself up off the floor. "But we need not worry too much. There may not have been many here in the first place, since it's well hidden and all."

Loki had to agree with that, it seemed to fit into the whole image that Mogul was making. He didn't fight his own battles and didn't show up before anyone to talk, and sent others to do his work. He seemed to be more of a coward then Loki was thought to be, at least to the young prince it seemed that way. Loki motioned to Sif, "I look to you for guidance my Lady Sif."

"Sadly at this moment I have none to give," she frowned. "We don't have much time left, maybe using the dining hall is the best choice we have."

"Aye and a good place to hide in the event that the guards come," Volstagg turned to head towards the doors when they heard a click where he stepped, and part of the staircase opened to reveal a passage way. Loki hurried over with Sif and looked down. There were stairs that traveled to a landing it seemed then down a small corridor.

"Volstagg, you brilliant man you found it," Sif beamed at him, knowing full well that it was a chance that the red head warrior pulled it off. "Cleaver of you to realize it was on the floor."

"Yes, Aye, that it was," Volstagg pulled out of the stupor he was in and grinned broadly. Puffing up his chest he marched over and looked down at the stairs. "Well then, we shall carry on. Off to battle whatever is down there."

Loki rolled his eyes and created a flame to cast light around them so they could see. The trio traveled down the stairs and through the dark corridor. Loki barely listened to Volstagg and Sif talking quietly behind him as he concentrated to see if there were any traps. The walls were cold limestone, and dripped with water from a source that came from above. There were no lanterns or torches, so he knew that whoever used this passage had to bring a light with them. Clearly this wasn't something well known or else there would be a warn track on the floor where people would have long walked before them. Still, Loki had the suspicion that they were just behind someone who had recently used this very passage.

The hall ended in a door, and Loki doused his light, and then carefully pulled on the handle. To his surprise it opened easily to a long, twisting staircase. Slipping out he looked up following the torches that lead upwards. He could barely make out light from above, a testament to the fact that there were probably windows on the top floors.

"Up we go then," Volstagg said and Loki nodded. As they climbed the stairs got wider from the subterranean level. Loki glanced back at Sif and Volstagg both who had their weapons drawn, it occurred to him just then that they were looking for him to lead, and a feeling of pride came over him. He smirked as he walked farther up the steps, only to pause when they got to the first window. Glancing outside he saw guards hurrying about, clearly something was going on.

"What's wrong?" Sif asked in a hushed tone. Loki moved for her to look and she cursed quietly, and then moved ahead of him now that there was lighter. "They must have noticed that there were fewer in the party."

Loki frowned deeply, "I should have left doubles of us there."

"Nay, it would have used up more of your magic," Volstagg motioned them to move on. "There's little we can do now for them. We have to complete our task."

"Find Mogul and get the crystal," Loki muttered and followed along After Sif who was now running up the stairs taking two at a time. Volstagg huffed and puffed following, but kept up the pace with them. For such a large man he still was in good shape, Loki wondered watching him how he managed it. Getting to a landing the group stopped and leaned against the wall.

"How many floors are there?" Loki asked aloud not expecting a reply but was given one by a voice he did not recognize.

"Another ten to the top, which you won't be getting to, you arrogant fools," a woman in a blue uniform shouted, wielding duel blades. She sliced the air right where their heads would have been if Loki had not teleported them away to the opposing corner near the stairs.

The woman turned on them and smirked, "So what I heard was true. The Prince of Tricks really can do magic."

"And who have you heard this from?" Sif asked angrily, her blue eyes flashing dangerous at the woman that stood before them. Loki armed himself ready for a fight as Volstagg seemed to move before him. He motioned to Loki to head up and Loki raised his brow. Was the older man expecting him to leave in the middle of a fight?

The woman in blue watched them all carefully, clearly sizing them each up as she spoke, "That is not important. Know this Aesir warrior; I am Shezada, sister of king Batukhan and sister to Mogul the Mystic, and you shall not be leaving this room alive."

"We shall see about that!" Sif shouted and rushed her. Shezada danced away, but caught the swing crashing their swords together. In the midst of the clashing of swords, Volstagg knocked a large urn over, the crash distracting long enough for Loki to craft a spell that send explosive energy around the room. Before he could use it directly on Shezada though he was pushed up the stairs by Volstagg shouting to him that they would be fine and to go on, this caused confusion in Loki who paused only to have the man give him a hard shove that sent him running and tripping up farther. He looked down for only a second to see Sif and Volstagg counter and reencounter her attacks. The woman in blue looked angry and clearly backed into a corner, when just as suddenly she hit something, a switch or level Loki supposed, and a trap door opened, sending the three tumbling from his sight.

"No!" Loki shouted and tried to go back, when a blast of lighting ripped through the wall of the tower and busted the staircase. Loki looked out to see his brother fighting with the others, and far out was the man on the carpet. From here Loki could make out some of the man's appearance, but he still wasn't sure who it was. Deciding it was best to ignore the fighting he ran up the remainder of the stairs to the top floor. Here he wondered if there was a trick, a trap, or that there was something hidden in there waiting for him. Carefully pulling the door open he peeked inside, only to find it deserted save for a large mirror and many crystals that radiated with power. Loki crept inside and shut the door behind him. Mogul was nowhere, but the green crystal, the one that had been stolen, was out in plain sight.

_Easy picking,_ Loki thought as he moved for the crystal and felt a hot flash of energy rip through his hand. Gripping the right hand with his left, Loki spun around to stare at a cloaked figure that had her hand out, clearly the cause of his pain. He stared at the person for a moment, taking in the drab cover over their form, trying to debate if his first assumption was the one to go with, and finally just threw caution to the wind saying, "Hello Amora, nice to see you too."

With a quick flip the hood of the cloak was off, and Amora's blonde hair tumbled down over her shoulders. She smiled at him, "Nice to know you recognize me, even in something this…_plain_."

"Would be hard to forget someone like you," Loki smirked back, wincing now and again. He watched her as she strutted over to the crystal and picked it up in her hand, eyeing it hungrily. "You like what you see?"

She looked up at him and her lips gave a twitch, "And if I do?"

"You really are a bother at times Enchantress," he said holding his hand out. "Come now, you know how this will go."

"Oh really?" her eyebrow was raised at this as she held the crystal away from him, "do tell?"

Loki rolled his eyes, "Amora, you and I will fight. Our magic will collide, the tower will probably not survive the structural damage, and we may both die."

Amora smiled brightly then laughed, "You really think that could happen?"

"Oh I know it could," he said darkly and pulled out the stone. She watched him confused as Loki waved his hand over it and an image of Lorelei appeared before her. Amora's face darkened at this, clearly not pleased to see her sister chained up. "As you can see we have your sister. All we need is the crystal and she can go free."

"And what about me," Amora spat and gestured at her sister. "I give myself up, get locked away. I think not."

"Then I have another solution to this dilemma," Loki offered and held out his hand. "Give me the crystal and I let you go."

Amora stared at him for a moment, a look of disbelief played in her eyes as she kept hold of the crystal tightly in her hands. Loki smiled sweetly, "You think I'm lying don't you."

"Of course you are."

"But what if I'm not, Amora," Loki pointed out. "This is your chance. You can leave; go live with the Norns like you wanted to, to study. No one will know. I say you escaped, the crystal is with me. No one is the wiser…"

"And my sister," she asked holding on still clearly not trusting any of this. Loki waved his hand.

"I will argue for her freedom."

"You will make sure she _is_ freed, or I will make you pay."

Loki sighed deeply; she wasn't making this easy for him. "Very well, but you will owe me for this one day. Do we have a deal?"

Amora hesitated a moment looking at his outstretched hands and then at the crystal.

"You know very well that if Mogul were to find you in here with me, regardless of you winning he wasn't going to share anything with you. That's why you came here and worked for him, wasn't it," Loki surmised by the look in her face. "Tell me, why switch sides? When did it happen?"

Amora looked at the mirror and then back at Loki as she spoke, "The day we arrived I went to look at the second path, and you would have too. There I met a man, very handsome and charming; he offered me dinner if I went with him. I did it leads up to the top of the mountain that path, but not to here. We talked, and he offered to teach me things in return for my help in his scheme. He was very…_good_…in certain actions, and I enjoyed the attention. I didn't realize though that he was expecting me to help in the murder of his brother, I thought it was just a takeover, not genocide. The boy with him, Alibar, is really the King's son."

This bit of information made Loki raise his brow, "His what?"

"When the child was born, Mogul tricked his sister into taking Kushi, that's Batukhan's son's real name, and bringing him here to be raised as his own. I think she stays to protect the boy not because she believes in her brother's scheme." Amora explained quickly and Loki nodded. "He may know how to stop Mogul; he's used up the Jinn's powers."

"So all the wishes would be gone then?" Loki inquired and she nodded. "Well that does change things a bit. I suppose when it gets a new master the next one gains new wishes, three I suppose yes?"

"Yes, only three, the first he used on creating the monsters and the forty horsemen. The second was on the Jinn attempting to kill the Wazir, which you apparently stopped," Amora inquired and he nodded. "The last was on that flying carpet. He's going to unleash a plague on the people. The same one he unleashed on the scouting troop."

Loki paced for a moment and then looked at her, "Is that all."

"Everything I know," she said and glanced at the crystal once more. Loki saw her eyes and knew what she was thinking. He smirked and shook his head.

"Amora, come now, a deal is a deal. You can have your cake, but you can't have the pie as well, hand the crystal over, now."

Loki held out his hand to her once more, she looked at him, then the mirror and once more at the crystal as if fighting her impulse. With one quick motion she placed the crystal in his hand, and turned to face the mirror. Waving her hands over it she cast a gateway spell allowing her to exit the room. Amora looked back once more at Loki, as if wondering if she could take him along. Then, without another word, she vanished into the mirror, and it once more became a sheet of glass.

* * *

It wasn't long after that Loki was running down the stairs to the hole in the wall that had been made. He looked out at the battle that was being waged and transformed himself into a bird to glide down to the ground floor. Landing, Loki took a breath then started to make his way down the steps only to hear a shout from behind him and Volstagg, followed by Sif, came running out of the castle carrying a staff. He raised an eyebrow seeing the strange item and looked between the two.

Both Sif and Volstagg looked like they had gone through a pit of hell, their clothing torn and clearly bruised from a long fight, but their proud smiles indicated that they came out on top.

"What in Odin's name happened to you two? And what is that?" Loki motioned to the strange looking staff that bore a sharp looking crystal in a spear shape at the very top of its twisty and knotty golden form.

Volstagg laughed triumphantly, "This…This, my friend, is the Rod of Wondrous Wizard Power!"

"The what," Loki looked completely confused as Volstagg gave him a hard clap on the back sending the younger man stumbling some.

"The Rod of Wondrous Wizard Power," Sif explained. "When we fell with Shezada we wound up in some underground pit area that apparently Mogul had built for prisoners. Volstagg tried to charm her into telling us where Mogul was if we helped her escape too. She declined and ran ahead. We gave chase and wound up running into some bull headed creature she called the Mutaurus."

"Aye that was a bit of a scare, but as luck had it Lady Sif was quick on the draw and slowed it down long enough for Shezada to show us where to find its throne room where we discovered this beauty," he said holding the staff up to Loki who pushed it aside gently. "With this weapon we were able to send that creature back to the pits where it came from."

Loki looked rather impressed with the weapon and glanced at Sif, "And this Lady Shezada?"

"Confessed to murdering Hogan's parents and that Mogul intended to use a plague spell on Hogan's people," Sif sneered and motioned with her head. "She's inside there, tied up. The Mutaurus thrashed her quite nicely before we did it any damage."

A smirk played on Loki's lips, this worked well with his new plans. Nodding he found that Sif was staring at him and quickly cleared his throat, "On my end, I found Amora, but we had a rather nasty fight. She confessed to helping him, but she said that she had no intention of harming Asgard, and slipped from my grasp."

"And the crystal," Sif inquired and Loki pulled out the shattered remains of green. Sif slowly shook her head. "Well I suppose that with its destruction no one can use it on King Batukhan, but that also means he can't repair his force field."

Volstagg nodded, but gave Sif a serious look, "But it also means that he doesn't have to rely on such power anymore either and can find a new way to protect his people. A safer way, don't you think?"

Loki and Sif gave approving smiles as Volstagg hoisted the rod in the air. "Well then, if Sif will grab the lady with Prince Loki, I think there's a war to be won!"

* * *

The surprise when they returned with Shezada in tow was the fact that Alibar was now fighting alongside Thor and the others. Loki watched as the group cut down their foes as effectively as they could, given the fact that for each one they cut down there were always more to take their place.

"Seems your friends are in danger, I wonder how long they will live," Shezada wagered in a dark tone and smirked to Loki who was holding her. That was all it took for him to not care what happened to her. She screamed as she suddenly flew up into the air and found herself attached to a tree branch. Cursing at him Shezada kicked at the air as the young man below her smirked.

"I know what you are, Lady Shezada, even if you do break those bindings your brother's forces will be vanquished, one way or another."

With that he hurried to join in the fight, as much as Loki could at the moment, which was by utilizing distance spells. The army of red clad warriors clashed hard with his brother's forces, although it seemed that they were at a disadvantage, Thor and the other gave the battle their all. Lighting rained down upon the demonic forces, arrows flew through the air disabling limbs of the monsters. Loki could make out Hogan's mace as it toppled the horsemen from their mounts, and Sif and Balder's swords swung through the air, slashing and stabbing at the demonic men as they tried to entrap the group. It was then that Volstagg did something surprising, making his way through the crowd of horsemen, fighting them off as he did with ax in hand, he went to the center most point and raised the staff in hand. It glowed brightly as he called to it.

"Great Rod of Wondrous Wizard Power, help us defeat our enemies, and send them back from whence they came!" Then he slammed the staff on the ground. A shockwave exploded from the top crystal and the demonic horsemen stopped in their tracks, turned to stone, then crumbled to dust. When the dust settled Loki looked around coughing. The others were as confused as he was, but that soon changed to a cheer of victory.

Thor patted Volstagg on the back heartily, "Well done friend! Well done indeed."

"Our task is not yet over," Alibar said then picking through the remains of what was once his men. Loki looked at him then at his brother, raising an eyebrow at the fact that the young Prince of Mystic Mountain was now on their side. Alibar caught the look, bowed to Loki and was quick to explain. "My men turned on me upon the fight; it seems my father had been hoping I would die here today for unjust reasons. I see now that he didn't want anyone inheriting anything."

"So you just switched sides, like that?" Loki inquired a bit uncertain about the truthfulness of the boy. Thor quickly slapped him on the back.

"Brother, why must you be so suspect. Alibar has proven himself just and worthy, and Hogan himself has said that he is truly an honorable warrior."

"And that proves what, exactly?" Loki asked as he brushed Thor's arm away. He realized there was no time for questions though when Balder shouted and pointed up at the carpet which was now zooming away.

"Looks like he's trying to escape, we're going to need to stop him," he looked at Volstagg who handed him the rod. "Wonder if this will work."

"I doubt that it will," Alibar said darkly then paused and looked at the crystal. "Wait…I know that rock. My father's heart was replaced by a piece of it. He showed me."

The group turned and looked at him incredulously as Alibar explained quickly that at one time there was a large crystal that was broken in two. "The first part was used by my father to replace, what he called, his weak heart. The second…is that crystal on the top. They're connected, I believe."

Thor moved forward to the young man, "Are you certain?"

"Aye, I am…and given he's become a monster, I don't even know, I no longer wish to have ties with him." Alibar told them and took the staff from Balder. He looked up and saw his father standing atop the carpet. Muttering a, "Forgive me," he took the rod and smashed it into the ground, breaking the crystal into tiny pieces. The reaction on Mogul was instant. Loki watched as he twitched, and light cracked his form turning him into dust and the carpet plummeted to the ground, empty of life. Mogul was dead, and Hogan's people were safe.

* * *

It was several days later that the group was ready to depart from the area of the Mystic Mountain. Tyr and Frey were going to stay to help rebuild with Alibar, who had found out from his late father Batukhan that they were related. The young man was now the king and had decided to keep the city where it was and rebuild. Shezada was placed under the watch of the light elves, and slowly seemed to be coming around to the fact that she had been brain washed by her brother. As for Hogan, he had decided to journey back to Asgard since his promise to his parents had been fulfilled and he felt that there was more to learn and gain at the palace.

"You'll enjoy it there," Fandrel said with a hearty laugh. "The women are well worth the price of admission."

"I would say the food is the best," Volstagg laughed heartily as the group headed back from the city. Hogan seemed to roll his eyes at both of them as Loki watched on with a quirked eyebrow.

"So, now we have three warriors," he said to his brother as he rode beside him, Sif and Balder. "Fandrel the dashing, Volstagg the voluminous, and what Hogan the Grim, what sort of team is that?"

"A team of great friends I would say," Sif smiled at the trio ahead of her and Thor agreed with a hearty laugh.

"Aye, the Warriors Three!"

Fandrel glanced back and grinned, "Well now that sounds like a catchy name, much better than Fandrel the dashing and his wondrous friends."

"What makes you think it should be named after you, I'm the oldest here remember," Volstagg corrected him while Fandrel smirked.

"And the grandest, in size anyway."

"I'll have you know that I…" Volstagg started off into a long story but Hogan cut him off suddenly. The man had been thinking about the name, and smiled as if realizing the name.

"The Warriors Three, I like that name."

Fandrel and Volstagg smiled and laughed, "Aye it's a good name. Then we shall be known as the Warriors Three!"

As they headed through the now vibrant forest, since Mogul's defeat new buds on trees were starting to bloom, Loki slowed just enough for the others to get on ahead. Reaching into his pack he found the secret compartment he had made and slipped his fingers inside to feel the cool sensation of the crystal that he'd kept. A smirk slipped on his lips as he watched his brother ride, and thought, _After all dear brother, you have a hammer and I, now, have a Jinn._


	18. Chapter 18: Hello and Good-Bye

**AN: **So I've been away for a while. Life has taken course but I'm ready to go back to writing. I hope that people will continue to read and enjoy as much as I am writing this.

_Copyright: _All Characters are from Marvel and I own no one!

* * *

The first flakes of snow were frosting the ground with a light dusting the day that Loki arrived home. It was just before the dawn; night's long tress still covered the sky dotting the heavens with stars, a fitting sight to see for the arrival of the victorious heroes. Though, for Loki, he still wished that they had waited until early morning when they could be paraded through the boulevards.

"You'll have enough of that later," Volstagg laughed as he clapped Loki on the shoulder when he noted the lack of welcome they had. The younger prince snorted slightly; it felt rather disrespectful for there to be no one up and about at their return. His gaze lingered on Hogan who was examining the structures and buildings as they passed through the quiet streets. The look on the young warrior's face said it all; he was both intrigued and slightly unnerved at the golden city.

"Cat got your tongue Hogan?" Thor asked before Loki could inquire about his thoughts on the matter and Hogan raised his eyebrow. Thor smiled, "Figure of speech."

"And a terrible one at that," Loki muttered and glanced up at the sky that was starting to become lighter, "Seems like we just made it for breakfast."

"Aye, a warm hearty meal where we can exposit our tales to the court, should be fun brother," Thor teased and Fandrel chimed in.

"I'm sure the ladies would love to hear of the amazing feats of heroic epicness!"

"Your feats, don't forget we were all working together here Fandrel," Sif stated and Balder chuckled as his friend's daydreams were squashed by Sif's quick words. The trio in the back began to debate on who actually did what in battle as Hogan slowed to gaze at them curiously.

"Do they always fight like that?"

Loki smirked and waved his hand. "Always, it's their custom. So I suppose this place is quite different then you're used to?"

"Yes," Hogan said deftly with a nod and motioned to the various buildings. "Why do you live in such extravagance? Surely the people would prefer to live in something simpler?"

"It was like this before we were born," commented Thor as he drew up to them. "Long ago our Father, Odin, built this land as a means of showing his strength to our Mother's people the Vanir, there was a rather bitter civil war between them that ended when our Mother agreed to marry our Father. As part of the dowry for her he built the palace," the blonde warrior pointed out various sights to his new friend. "That over there is the homes of the various gods and goddesses that are part of the court. Each house is designed for them and their families, in some cases servants as well live there with them. This is the main thoroughfare; it has most of the shops for clothing, food and other merchandise. Down that street is where the pubs are, a place that we sometimes frequent…"

"And it has the finest food you could ever want to eat!" Volstagg called out and Fandrel shouted at him.

"I thought you said that our friend's home had some of the finest food you could ever eat!"

"I did," Volstagg contended and pointed out, "Can't a man like more than one sort of food?"

"To Volstagg all food is the finest," teased Thor which brought out chuckles from everyone, even Volstagg himself. As they passed along Thor relating things Loki sighed. He was tired and something was gnawing at the back of his mind. The jinn was secure in his pocket, he didn't want it to get out, but still, there was much that he wanted to learn about it. Where had it come from, how did it form and, most importantly, how did its magic work? He was about to comment that he was going to ride ahead and let the guards know that they were on their way when he noticed that Hogan was looking at a rather cold looking building in the distance.

The spires here were duller then the other buildings and there seemed to be a dissonance that resonated around the air as they passed not to far from the building. Like the others it was tall, but nothing about it spoke to the elegance that was the rest of the city. The windows were covered in plain glass, and it was clear that not a lot of light filtered in from those windows as each was tinted with a shadowy color. The gold that glimmered off the surrounding buildings became lifeless on this one and, as they passed, Loki visibly shuddered pushing his new mount a bit farther ahead of the group. When Thor and Hogan caught up he could see that both had lost their humor. Volstagg, Fandrel, Sif and Balder had gone another route to avoid the building, which was something Loki now wished he had done as well.

"What was that place?" Hogan asked as they crossed a small bridge after the feeling had ebbed from him. Thor and Loki glanced at one another, neither wishing to speak of it, but Loki started to explain.

"It is a place called the Hall of Fears, and a place you shouldn't think too much about."

"Why not?" Hogan looked at him with a curious air that held a bit of suspicion to it. Loki glanced at Thor who followed up with.

"There is something in it that no one should see, it is known simply as the unknown. Even we don't know what it truly is, but the Crimson Hawks use it as a place for their final tests to determine if the cadet is truly ready to serve Odin."

"I see, and neither of you have seen what is in there?" Hogan inquired incredulously. Both young men shook their heads.

"Nor do I want to," Loki told the third man and pulled up on his horse some when they were near the bridge to Breidablik. He paused and noticed considering just riding up there, but then recalled that if he did so it would more than likely upset Idunn, and at the moment he had no intentions of doing so. The house was still glowing with some candles and smoke rose from a chimney. The frost was setting in, and he found it a bit perplexing that she had chosen to stay so long. Normally she would have already left for the warm area of Alfheim and her home in the Enchanted Forest where she nurtured the apple trees that she took with her. A small smile of sorts slipped onto his lips, he figured that Sigyn had more than likely, asked her sister to stay, perhaps just to wait for him. The smile transformed into a smirk and Loki felt rather pleased with himself. He'd managed to get her to keep him in her mind long enough for him to get back, though he himself denied the fact that this small action had actually made him rather happy. This was the first time, outside of his mother, that a person had actually waited for him and wanted to see him. Such actions, he figured, were just her being kind or loyal in a way. Though deep down he hoped that he could use it to his advantage.

"Brother?" Thor called out and Loki glanced back once more at the house before riding on after Thor and Hogan. He ignored the questions that came his way when he caught up with Thor, choosing instead to focus on the jinn in hand, but thoughts of Sigyn kept nagging at him. Even as they were greeted by the guards, who ushered the group, now with the others who had arrived first at the palace, up to the great hall where a feast of food was laid out, Loki's mind kept fighting with the strange fact that Bragi's family was still there.

Then there was the issue of his allowing Amora to escape. He knew that it could be found out, but Amora wasn't stupid, she would never just let out the fact that he'd let her go as it would cause her trouble as well. Yet somehow he was sure that such actions could possibly be trouble. He decided that he'd use the jinn to locate her and find a way to keep an eye on her, just in case. After all who would believe a traitor over a prince? It wasn't until they were in the room that they considered their own reception area, and alone to relax, that Thor brought up the subject of Loki stopping.

"Is there something that's amusing about that brother?" Loki inquired while Thor poured himself a glass of warm cider and took a fresh pastry that had been set out for them. Thor smiled some sitting down.

"You're getting older Loki."

"Am I now," the younger prince drawled crossing his legs, and snapped his fingers popping a pastry into his hand, "Hadn't noticed."

Thor rolled his eyes and took a bite of his food. "You could have gotten up to get that."

"Could have, but I felt lazy." Loki concurred and smiled. "So why should you care about me getting older?"

"Well it seems to me you're fancying women now," Thor teased and Loki nearly choked. A look of concern crossed Thor's brow as he started to get up, before Loki waved him off and the elder boy sat back down. Taking a breath and clearing his throat Loki quickly asked.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"I just mean that I noticed that you were very hospitable to the young woman that escorted you," Thor pointed out and avoided Amora altogether. Loki noticed this but held back saying anything.

"So you think because I'm kind to a woman I'm suddenly fancying her?"

"Well you can't say that she wasn't attractive," Thor commented and laughed as Loki turned slightly crimson. He could not deny that fact, but looks weren't all that he found interesting. If it was simply that, he supposed, and then he would have been chasing after several women in the palace.

"No I can't say that she wasn't," Loki sighed, acquiescent to his notion. "Still, that doesn't mean that I wanted to become involved with her."

Thor laughed. "Of course not, it would have to be someone with a back of steel to have you as a bridegroom."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Loki raised an eyebrow at his brother. Thor waved it off. Loki frowned, "Don't ignore that, answer me, what do you mean, Thor?"

"I just mean," Thor said taking a bite of another pastry, "That whoever winds up married to you must be strong enough emotionally to deal with your trickster personality."

Loki sat back, calming with an, 'Oh I see,' to his face. He knitted his fingers as Thor got more to drink and noticed the hammer on the side near one of the seats. Getting up he gingerly made his way over to the hammer, stared at it a moment, then reached down to try to heft it. Mjolnir remained in its place and Thor laughed softly, Loki stood up and nudged it with his boot.

"You're not jealous are you brother?"

"What have I to be jealous about? You have a magical hammer; I have magic in my blood. Does it matter one way or another?" He said with a ceremonious grin to his face. Thor scowled some and walked around to face him.

"Loki, don't let this gift bother you. Father will give you a weapon one day, I promise."

"I know," Loki nodded carefully and Thor smiled patting him on the shoulder, though Loki knew that the likelihood was slim to none, as he wasn't the favorite. He was about to inquire about them going to see their mother, when a Hawk cadet came in and bowed.

"Your Highnesses," the young man said and looked between the two. "Lord Odin would see you in his throne room, at once."

"Are you to escort us?" Loki asked curiously wondering why Odin wanted to see them now.

"Aye, as per the wishes of Lord Odin," the cadet told him and Loki glanced at Thor who hefted up Mjolnir and hooked it on his belt. The cadet bowed once more and led them down to the throne room. Outside Sif and Hogan were waiting. Both looked puzzled at the sudden summons, since everyone had assumed that all matters would be dealt with in the evening at a feast for their return and partly in the honor of Hogan as their guest. Sif smiled at Thor when he strode over, giving Loki a nod as well.

"Good to see you both here, did the cadet say anything to you?" Thor asked her and Sif shook her head.

"No, a cadet just came to my room and insisted that I come here," she motioned to Hogan, "Hogan was waiting here as well when I came."

"Is this a normal happening," asked Hogan to Thor and Loki piped in.

"Not normal, no, though we did just get back from a rather unusual mission, so I assume that our Father wishes for details that will not be in the report."

"And probably to give some sort of reward to us," Fandrel said strolling over with Balder following at a clipped gate, hopping a few times to pull his boot back onto his foot. Hogan glanced at the young man in light blue who quickly explained that he had been napping when the guard came in. This caused a few sniggers from Thor and Fandrel, which was quickly silenced by Sif's impatient look.

"If it was a reward, why not have us come in earlier?" She pointed out. "No this probably is something more important than that."

"So what then," Balder's young face twisted into a confused grimace. "Surely he doesn't think we did something wrong?"

"I heartily doubt that," Thor intoned cautiously as he stroked his chin, now slightly covered in stubble from the time they were away from home. He had not taken the time to shave, which Loki, who never seemed to grow any chin hair, didn't have to worry about. The younger prince moved away from the party to wander over to a window that over looked the main courtyard, and noticed a simple, if not elegant, carriage heading for bridge to Breidablik. A thought crossed his mind, a memory that seemed to whisper in his ear, and a promise that he had made just before he left.

Loki almost face palmed, and stared down at the bridge. If the carriage had been called it meant that Idunn and Bragi would be leaving for the winter. It also meant that Sigyn would have to accompany them to her home, or at least meet another carriage on the way there. He glanced over his shoulder at his compatriots and considered his options. If he didn't attend and his father found out why there would be hell to pay. If he didn't keep his word though, then all his plans would be for nothing. Scowling he watched as the carriage drove around the corner and out of sight. What was there to do? Was there enough time to catch up? Even if he transformed the winds had been kicking up and the morning light was just warm enough to keep him from freezing. But he would have to find an open window first and…

"Loki, are you coming!" a shout from Fandrel broke him from his chaotic thoughts and brought him back to the moment.

"Coming," he called and then gave one last glance out the window before turning and walking towards the others, taking his time coming around a pillar. Loki sighed as he walked up to Fandrel and nodded, "Here, I am. So do we know what is going on?"

"Not yet," Balder said as he rubbed his shoulder, "I'm still stiff from riding. The weather looks bad."

"What were you doing over there?" Sif asked him and Loki shrugged.

"Watching the snow fall," he motioned to the window. "And with it the Festival and all that fun that goes with relations visiting."

"Aye," Thor groaned, "and the boring events that we need to watch."

"But there are other things too, like the snowball fight!" Balder said excitedly. The others grinned at this; even Loki's green eyes sparkled. The only one that seemed unsure was Hogan who asked.

"Snowball fight?"

"Aye, a massive one," Fandrel explained. "You do know what a snowball fight is, right?"

"Yes I…" started Hogan when two guards came out and the group got into line. Thor and Sif in front, Balder and Hogan after, Loki and Fandrel took up the rear. Fandrel tapped Hogan on the shoulder and mouthed.

"I'll explain after."

Hogan gave a nod and the group walked in.

* * *

Inside the group was greeted by the sight of Odin and several of the other gods sitting in waiting. Volstagg was already inside with his wife Hildegund, who looked rather pleased with her husband, standing off to the side of the throne. When the group came in the guard stood at attention as Odin rose and the others knelt to him. Fandrel glanced at Loki, who for once had his head down and looking quite serious, and muttered quietly to Balder, "Seems even our beloved Prince of Tricks is taking this seriously for once."

"Shhhh," Balder hissed not wanting to get into trouble as Odin walked before them. For a moment everyone was silent then the great All Father spoke, his voice resounding off the walls and vaulted ceiling of the great throne room.

"Thor Odinson, God of Thunder, my son; today you have proven yourself worthy, not in the eyes of the people, but in your own heart. Your dedication, skill in adverstity to protect those closest to you in times of trouble and need have shown that you are a true warrior in both ablity and soul. And thus, the power of Mjolnir is yours to wheild!"

A resounding cheer came from the gallery as Odin went on to thank the others that had shown bravery, granting them honors and placing on Thor's head a newly refined helmet for his to use. More cheers sounded off and Fandrel glanced at Loki who was still kneeling and not saying a word. Fandrel reached out to tap him to see if the younger prince had fallen to sleep, but to his shock his hand went right through and before the eyes of the crowd, Loki vanished.

"This…is bad," Fandrel said when Odin looked up and saw the missing person. He scowled.

"Where is Loki?" and looking at Thor who looked just as confused he motioned to the guards. "Go and find him. Bring him to me at once!"

Fandrel heaved a sigh and shook his head. He should have guessed that Loki wasn't acting like himself, though he was wishing that the young magician had snuck him out as well.

* * *

Across the bridge the carriage waited at Breidablik as Idunn gather the last of the items that she required. The trees had been carefully covered and cured for their winter hibernation. The apples had been carefully harvested and brought to the palace where they were cured for the long season of cold and ice. She glanced around the frost covered garden and made her way over to the trees to find Sigyn sitting on a bench staring up at the morning sky, bunching her cloak in her hands.

Idunn slowly walked up to her and placed her hands softly on the girl's shoulders. Sigyn seemed to register her presence with a slight tremble on her shoulders.

"It's time to go," Idunn told her and Sigyn gave a short nod.

"I know."

"I know you don't want to go back home," Idunn slid down to sit next to her younger sister and push her blonde locks from her hair. "But you need to. Mother is waiting and I know she misses you. As do your sisters, you need to go home Sigyn."

Sigyn shifted again and Idunn raised her eyebrow to her younger sister who was staring at her hand. While it had healed a great deal she had been instructed to stop her practice in archery, as Eri had discovered her activities, and keep it steady until early spring. Being in a sling like device had made her hand itch to move, and she knew that her mother would be strict about her taking care of her arm. It meant that she would be cooped up in her house until the festival, and even then she would have to refrain from actives that she enjoyed.

"You do want to go home, don't you?" Her sister prodded and Sigyn gave a nod. Idunn looked relived. She had been worried that her sister would have wanted her to stay away from their mother after the events of the past few weeks. Brushing Sigyn's hair off her brow Idunn kissed the girl's head as she stood. "I'll be checking on a few last trees, and then we're leaving for the carriage. Try to perk up Sigyn, you're going to be sleeping in your own bed tonight."

Sigyn watched her sister head off into the covered apple trees and sighed. Her thought were drifting back to the strange nightmare she had, the death that she saw, the devisation. That dream had cost her nights of sleep and even when she was able to doze off she kept thinking of the green eyed prince. Getting up she chided herself, kicking the ground with her boot.

_Silly girl! He's forgotten about you. You knew that he would, given his closeness with that Amora woman. They've been friends for a while, and she's far more enticing then you are. Why are you worried about him anyway? It's not like you were friends. He just felt guilty is all, that's it, and nothing more. _Sigyn resigned herself to this idea. He'd given his word, and still she had not seen him. Word had reached her that Loki, his brother, and the company they kept, had arrived back at the palace. She had been hoping for him to show up, just to say goodbye. He'd given his word to her, and still he'd not shown up. She had delayed Bragi and Idunn for as long as she could, and now she worried that she made things harder on her sister. The apples were important, and Sigyn knew that her sister was loyal to Odin and the court in her duties. She felt like she had set her up for a fall, should the apples not mature.

Hearing Idunn's steps come closer Sigyn rose up and walked over to meet her sister half way. With an arm around the younger girl, the elder woman led her back inside, through the house once more, and out the front door. Sigyn looked at all the items in the house as they passed, mentally wishing she could stay longer with her sister. She wondered if she could have such a home one day, one that she could rest in and call her own. Allowing Idunn to escort her outside Sigyn found Bragi waiting with the driver. The man was a grim sort of person, cool of nature, with a scar on his cheek. He sniffed at Sigyn when he saw her, but bowed low to Idunn when they approached.

"We'll be leaving in half an hour," explained Bragi as the footmen helped load the luggage. "That should give your mother time to meet us half way as we planned."

"Aye, and then off to Alfhiem," Idunn smiled and patted Sigyn on the shoulder. The younger girl licked her lips and wandered away from the married couple allowing them to talk quietly between themselves, and giving her time to think about writing to the Prince to thank him somewhat for his actions. After all, as Sister Liv, he'd provided her some fun and relief from the pain of not being able to use her hand for the period of time. Sigyn watched the drifting flakes and caught some on her tongue, pondering if it was true that small fairies crafted each flake like the dwarfs did the jewelry that adored the gods.

"If each flake is unique then does that make them special?" she muttered aloud and was surprised when a voice retorted with.

"If each flake is unique then why are they special?"

Turning around she blinked to see a figure dressed in the garb of a sister, and recognize the green eyes behind the veil. Smiling Sigyn approached the woman and commented in a cool tone, "You're late."

"I beg your pardon? I said I would be here before the first frost and I was. I just needed to warm up before paying you a visit." Sister Liv said in her deeper voice. Sigyn cocked her head in a questioning manner then waved her good hand, as if to dismiss whatever she wanted to say. Loki chuckled at this and motioned to the carriage. "You're leaving so soon? Running away from me then?"

"No, but I'm to return home," Sigyn told him seriously. Which took him off guard, there was a sad look in her eyes as she spoke. "I'm glad to see you're safe."

"Of course I would be safe. Do you think I'm stupid and put myself in danger?"

"No, it's just…" Sigyn started then stopped. He quirked a brow at this and pulled the cloak closer to her seeing she was starting to shiver.

"It's not wise for you to keep yourself uncovered in the start of frost."

"How is it you're not cold then?" she inquired and he chuckled.

"Mother says I'm just special that way."

"Like a snowflake," Sigyn shot back and he grinned behind the veil.

"I would say yes, I'm the most unique one in the world. No one can match me."

"Some might try," Sigyn touched his shoulder. She paused, "Even if you are annoying."

At this the young man pulled back and crossed his arms, again his eyes looked at the carriage. "How long will you be gone for?"

"Until the Winter Festival," Sigyn shifted some uncomfortable. Her eyes went down to the ground and she wondered what to say to him. This was their farewell; she knew the likelihood of her mother taking her back to the city would be slim to none before the festival. Yet she didn't want to say this and cast down his hopes. Though she was sure he knew and his actions of shifting under his cloak showed that he was nervous about something. Weather that was due to her or something else she didn't know, nor was she going to ask. Loki kept his secrets and Sigyn knew that the more she knew about them the more she would feel bound to him.

"I see, well then, how will you be traveling?" He eyed the driver. "Seems a bit grim don't you think?"

"Aye, he said that the scar was from a war."

"Pfft, war of what? I know that man; the only war he had been in was with a shattered bottle of mead and an angry barkeep." Loki waved at the driver who leered at him and the trickster smirked getting a wily idea. One that quickly was squashed seeing Bragi notice them and he moved closer to Sigyn and looked down. That was a problem with his eyes, they always showed what he was thinking, and it was something he knew he had to work at lest they give away his plans.

Sigyn had laughed at his explanation, and, standing there before her, he notice that their height differences had become more apparent. Not by much, but he had grown some, as had she in their short time apart. Soon enough he knew that the good sister's uniform would not fit, thankfully though he would not have to wear it again. A smile slipped onto his thin lips and Loki whispered to her. "We could run off you and I, you know. Hide out somewhere where they couldn't find us."

He was pleased to see Sigyn have a slight blush, but then she scowled. "I don't think that's a good idea, Sister Liv."

"I suppose not," he sighed dramatically. "And here I thought you'd happily follow along and be my servant."

"Hardly, you would serve me, if anything."

At this the young prince laughed and Sigyn crossed her arms. He grinned, "You're amusing you know that."

"I suppose, what of the girl you were with, Amora?"

"What of her?" he inquired nonchalantly looking at his fingers.

"Well is she here? Wouldn't she be looking for you?" Sigyn asked puzzled by his actions. "She was your comrade wasn't she?"

"Was, being the key word here, was." He said with a terrible grin on his face, one that gave Sigyn a slight shudder. "She was, taken care of. There were actions that she did that caused quite a problem for us. But I think that things will quiet down now." He paused and looked into her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity," Sigyn explained, "you seemed very interested in her."

"Ah, nothing more than an old friendship," he waved it off and glanced over her shoulder to see Bragi heading their way. "It seems our time is up."

Sigyn looked back and turned to Loki, "You'll at least do me the favor of walking with me to the carriage Sister?"

"Aye, that seems a fair thing," Sister Liv said with a nod and gave a polite bow to Bragi. "Lord Bragi, it is good to see you again."

"Sister Liv, if I am correct?" Bragi said as he stared at the young woman before him. He still wasn't particularly sure of her status, though the young woman gave a nod of affirmation as he continued. "To what good fortune do we have to thank that brings you here on this cold morning? Shouldn't you be with Eri helping tend the men that have come back from the fight?"

"Aye, that I should my lord," Sister Liv looked as guilty as she could; though Bragi was sure he noticed her shoulders give a slight tremble of laughter. However when she met his gaze there was a sense of responsibility to them that he felt was honest, "but my elder sister let me sneak away for a few moments to say good bye to Lady Sigyn. We have become, friends, if you will, and I would hate to not have the chance to embrace her once more before she leaves my side."

"Embrace her?" Bragi questioned and Sister Liv laughed generously.

"My family is quite the emotional sorts with farewells."

"I see, well then. I take it you have said your farewells?" Bragi glanced between them and the two young women looked a bit sheepish, "Not exactly?"

"Well no, Brother." Sigyn said simply and Loki nodded in return.

"I fear we were in such a conversation that such matters did not cross our minds."

"Well then, I would suggest you say you're parting words, and be quick. We must be off Sigyn if we wish to make it on time before noon so that Idunn doesn't chill over too much."

"Aye, Brother," Sigyn said as the poet turned and headed back for the carriage. Sigyn glanced over at Loki who caught her arm, firmly and pulled her back away from where they were standing. "What are you doing?"

"Questioning my thoughts," he admitted and stared at her for a moment then let her go. "When you return, you will speak to me again?"

"It depends if I can, will you be as the Sister?"

Loki shook his head, "Nay, this disguise is wearing thin, and I know eyes will be upon me at that time." He paused and quirked his head, "However should there be a way to talk, you will at least speak to me. Say aye Sigyn, or I shall not allow you to leave."

"And how will you hold me here?" she questioned him and Loki smirked.

"I have my ways."

Something about that made her tremble, but she nodded slowly. He smiled and ran his hand over hers. "This pleases me, my friend."

"So we are friends then?" Sigyn asked. "In turn you will write to me."

"It depends if I can," He retorted and let her hand go. Sigyn paused and stared at her hand a moment before putting it back behind her cloak. She shifted the hood and gave him a quick nod, seemingly pleased with the answer.

"Then I shall wait and see what the wind shall bring."

"And you will reply if I do?" Loki asked as she walked away. Sigyn stopped and turned with a small bow calling out.

"If you write, I shall."

With that exchange Loki watched as Sigyn hurried over to her sister and Bragi. She paused to wave at him, but he was already gone, turned back into a magpie and flown up onto a branch to observe things. Watching her carriage go Loki clucked his tongue and thought how foolish he was for hoping that she would correspond with him. He was a prince after all, and this was all a game, yet it dogged him that she wasn't just playing along but expected the courtesy back. He supposed it was all part of the situation, but there was still fun to be had.

Flying back he noticed the guards out and about and realized that he was going to be in trouble. The best plan was to pretend that he'd gotten sick from nerves outside the throne room and had sent a doppelganger in to please his father. Worse came to worse, he would, once more, be locked in his room. After all what was the worst they could do to him?

* * *

In the carriage Sigyn glanced out at the falling snow. While Bragi and Idunn napped she opened the window and stuck her hand out to feel the cold flakes hit her warm skin and she watched as they melted one by one. She'd called him a snowflake, unique unto himself, trying to be a bit of an insult, and get him to the back of her mind. Yet, even as they departed away from the gilded world that she had become acquainted to Sigyn began to ponder if in fact her reasons for calling him a snowflake was because she wanted to be as different and special as he was. Or at least, somehow, be something special to him.


	19. Chapter 19: Wishful Thinking

**AN: Going to have to break this chapter into two parts. Although I'm happy to finally be able to write again, I hope to get the new Young Avengers issues soon. Given recent events it might make for some different stories here. **

_Copyright: __Loki, Thor, Sigyn and all Marvel characters associated with this belong to the rightful owners and creators. Please remember to check out Marvel comics and pick up Young Avengers. I own no one in this story. _

* * *

Early winter eased into midwinter as smoothly as spring did into a brook. Sigyn had arrived home the day after she departed from the city of Asgard and found her sister's happily waiting for her. Tensions had been eased and her Mother was working hard on matters in regard for the equal treatment of the Vanir in some of the rural areas and towns, so that gave Sigyn time to relax and ponder her situation. She knew that her Mother would want to go to the Midwinter Celebration and see how well Syn was doing in regards to her role in the court. Freya had hoped that her daughter had gotten into Frigga's group of handmaidens, which was one of the highest post for young women to achieve, though being another goddesses handmaid would be cause for celebration as well, but the idea of having two daughters working for Frigga would be rather pleasing.

For Sigyn such matters seemed less important than her goals. With the temperature dropping she had less time to sneak out to her father's workshop and scrounged around for any notes left behind. So, she'd taken to hunting out reading material about the Dwarves in her mother's library. Here she perched herself upon a window seat and read by sunlight, or candle light, for hours until her eyes grew weary and she could not hold them open anymore. At those times her mother would find her and carry her to bed. At first the books that she read didn't bother Freya much; most were just legends and histories that were well known about the land of Nidavellir, but then Sigyn started to seek out written accounts that Freya had from her time visiting the Dwarves, and tried to find a way into her mother's locked room of documents.

It wasn't easy for her to get in. The room was locked by a key that her mother kept in her room, but where that key was kept Sigyn didn't know. Every day that she had gone into the library she'd always noticed that glass door, with the many rows and stacks of scrolls that her mother kept bound tightly. She'd wandered over there once during the afternoon when one of the servants was in cleaning and, was surprised when he scolded her to get away from it. Sigyn scurried off, but it didn't stop her curiosity and she figured that the best way to find out was ask around. Sjofn was her go to for information, since she used to gossip all the time with Syn about things that were really none of her business to begin with. Things about their Mother's supposed scandalous past were always good for the two older girls to discuss and giggle over, so it was no surprise to Sigyn that when she inquired Sjofn about the curious locked room in the library, that the older girl grinned like a cat that had just feasted upon the prized canary.

"So, what do you want to know," Sjofn asked as the two were sitting in the large sitting hall in the house. The snow outside was coming down lightly for a change, and the sun's warm rays danced on the icy windows creating pretty patterns on the floor. Sjofn was curled up on the couch and almost bounced with anticipation as Sigyn sat across from her, trying to reflect her sister's excitement, hoping that it would get Sjofn to talk more about what she knew.

"Well," Sigyn tapped her chin drawing out the question, making Sjofn more eager to answer. "What do you know about the locked room in mother's library?"

Sjofn leaned back some and puckered her lip, as if trying to think. She took a breath then started in.

"Well, I can't tell you too much. Syn might know more because she was able to get in there that one time. But….I can tell you that it's full of pretty odd things. See Mother's kept all her letters from friends and foes. She's also got records of her trips, particularly to Nidavellir, when she was sent there by Odin. Oh, Syn did say that there were also scrolls of magic in there too, Mother apparently color codes them with ribbons so that she'll know which one she wants, and the dates are also color coded, so one color for the month, one for the year, and one for the day. This way she can just grab some and find the one she's looking for quickly. It's really ingenious if you ask me."

Sigyn looked pleased as her eyes danced, "Do you think she would have information on Father in there?"

"I don't rightly know," Sjofn frowned just a tad. "Though I thought she burned all that."

"But she might have kept some things in there right?"

"Maybe," admitted Sjofn who furrowed her brow. "But to be honest I'm not sure. I know Syn said she didn't see anything that belonged to father, but then again she did go in there while he was here so more than likely there wasn't much of anything that may have been his back then in there. But that's not to say that there isn't now."

"I see," Sigyn said trying to keep up her pretense and quickly asked then about Sjofn's thoughts on their Mother's former lovers. This seemed to please Sjofn because she rambled on till the sunset about her own theories and speculations as to whom their mother had dated and when. By the following morning Sigyn had a plan of action, but she needed Lofn's help, and for that she pulled out several of her own coins that she had been saving for when they went to the Celebration back in Asgard. Walking down the hall to her sister's room Sigyn wondered if the money would be enough of a bribe for Lofn to assist her. Lofn had been saving for a potions book, Sigyn had heard her mention it to her friends when they visited, but the cost was more then she had saved up. With the extra that she was offering Sigyn speculated that Lofn would just have enough for one book. It was that small edge of cash that she hoped would put her sister in as her ally.

With a sharp rap on the door Sigyn waited for Lofn to rise from her slumber, something the older girl didn't like to do till she was good and ready. So Sigyn had hunkered down for a long wait, but to her delight Lofn was already up, though grumpy as she had suspected.

"What?" Lofn leaned on the door frame after pulling it open with a hard yank that had Sigyn take a step back. "Well? What is it?"

Sigyn paused and held up the money, which made Lofn raise an eyebrow, "You're giving me money?"

"For help," Sigyn quickly told her. Lofn looked around and motioned her into the room. Shutting the door she waited for Sigyn to explain. "I want you to help me get into Mother's locked room in the library."

Lofn gave her a serious stare then broke out laughing. Sigyn frowned.

"What's funny about that?"

"Why do you want to go in there? It's nothing but old scrolls anyway," Lofn pointed out and Sigyn grew quiet.

"I just want a look for something."

Lofn crossed her arms, "Such as?"

"Not telling."

"Then I'm not helping." Lofn waved her out and Sigyn held out the money again.

"It's the exact amount you need for the book that you want. If you get me in with no questions, you can have all of this, but first you need to get me the key."

Lofn stared at her then the coins. She seemed to debate for a moment then smiled slowly.

"Alright, but a deals a deal, I get you the key, you give me the money. Agreed?" she held out her hand to Sigyn who hesitated for a moment then begrudgingly shook her hand. Lofn crossed her arms. "Give me a day, by tomorrow afternoon you'll have your key."

"Promise," Sigyn inquired as she headed out of the room.

"Hey I keep my word, just be sure you keep yours." With that the door shut in the younger girl's face and Sigyn sighed. If everything went right then she would have the key to finding out more about her father. However by the next day she was reconsidering having Lofn's help, the girl was a bad as Loki had been, the difference being that Loki had done his tricks for amusement and free, Lofn was the sort that would blackmail after if she wanted more from the person she had made a deal with.

Sigyn was pacing outside the art gallery when Lofn arrived, she was late as usual, which had sent Sigyn into a panic of the possibility that Lofn had told their Mother. She had been ready to hunt Lofn down if that was a case and steal the key if she did have it, when Lofn had sauntered up the hallway, jingling the key in her hand. Sigyn ran over to her, ecstatic.

"You got it!"

"Of course I did," Lofn gave her a smug smile and held the key out to Sigyn. "Here, now my money."

Sigyn paused, "How do I know it will work?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"No," the younger girl admitted and Lofn growled some, pushing the key into Sigyn's hand.

"Look a deal is a deal, here is your key," and she roughly prided the coins from Sigyn's hand, making her wince some in the process. "And there is my money. Our transaction is complete. Just don't tell anyone I did this for you, oh and if you get caught, I owe up to nothing, understand."

Sigyn nodded and watched her leave, counting her coins. Once Lofn had turned a corner, Sigyn made a b-line for the library and slipped in quietly. She almost skipped to the room and drew in a breath as she approached. Shakily she drew out the key, steadied her hand, and placed it in the lock. The simple bronze key slipped in perfectly, and then with a twist…she found the door handle still stuck. Sigyn tried again and again, and still the door wouldn't open. A cold shiver shot down her spine, had she been had by her sister, No that wasn't possible, was it?

_Okay one more time,_ she thought and tried again, still the door wouldn't open and Sigyn started to sniffle and cry, begging the door to open, willing the key to work. All in vain, and she sat down on the floor sniffling, cursing herself for being so foolish to trust Lofn. She was in the midst of tears when footsteps caught her attention, and she turned around to find the old servant standing before her. He took one look at her then at the door, and seeing the key, he reached down and hauled her up on to her feet, and yanked the key out, pocketing it.

"I told you not to touch that room; we're seeing your mother about this young lady."

He gave her no choice as he marched her, almost dragged her, down the hall to Freya's study. From around a corner Sigyn saw Lofn smirking and waving. The key had been wrong, and Sigyn knew then that only she would have the blame. Telling on Lofn would only get her in more trouble, since it was her plan that had sent her sister into her Mother's room. Freya was unhappy to say the least. She sat in a chair and listened as the Servant gave his rendition of events, going on about the sneaky behavior Sigyn was exhibiting. Sigyn watched as her mother's face stayed neutral until after the man had finished his words, and she dismissed him. Once gone she beckoned Sigyn to her side and stared at her with a look of sadness.

"Why did you want to break in there Sigyn, what are you looking for?"

"I…I don't know. Just information, things, on Father, that's all." The young girl looked down at her feet as Freya sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair.

"Sigyn, your father is gone. He's not coming back. I had to accept that and so should you. Don't concern yourself with the past, worry about the future. You have lessons to learn, things to do. You can't keep worrying about him."

"But what if he's still out there," Sigyn insisted and gripped her skirt. "What if he's just waiting for us to find a clue, something, anything to find him?"

Freya frowned, "Don't you think I did that? I looked over his papers but there was nothing."

"So you burned them?" Sigyn frowned deeply. "You burned everything that was connected to him."

"Sigyn I had to…" Freya started and her daughter stamped her foot. It was the first time in a long time she had thrown a tantrum.

"No you didn't! You're being selfish! You don't want us to know because you're ashamed of him, of us! Because we're not pure bloods, is that it mother!"

Freya glared at her daughter, "Bite your tongue Sigyn! I am proud of you, I'm glad you're my daughters…"

"But you don't want us to know about Father!"

"It's complicated Sigyn!" Freya stood up to her full height and looked down at her daughter, then shook her head and said softly. "It's complicated. Far too much so for you to understand right now," she shook her head and rubbed her temple. "You know what you did was wrong. Stealing one of my keys, trying to go into a room I forbid you to. You're grounded till the Celebration."

"I…what?" Sigyn looked confused and shook her head. "You mean I can't leave my room."

"That is correct. Only for meals and I'll have you escorted to the library if you want to read something." Freya told her and Sigyn looked down.

"Are you serious, no archery practice?" How would she win the spring competition then?

"No," Freya said coolly and went to the window. "Frankly I'm not surprised by some of this behavior. I heard that you were associating with Prince Loki. He probably put some ideas in your head."

"He did not, I thought of this myself." Sigyn said heatedly and crossed her arms. "He's not all that bad."

"Not all that bad, he's a selfish young man who ran off during a rather important event at the palace. His father was furious with him." Freya explained and Sigyn looked confused as her mother went on with details how Loki and his brother had gone with a group to help out her Uncle Frey and wound up being awarded for their actions. However Loki had vanished during the festivities and was caught outside the palace seemingly watching the roads. He had been grounded as well, although Freya expressed that she was sure that he could find a way out of his room, as he was a shape shifter.

Sigyn went silent, and felt her stomach plunge. If he had not come to see her he would have been seen as a hero, hailed for his valor during their expedition. Guilt welled up in her and she felt tears sting her eyes. Freya thought it was connected to her actions at the house and came over to hug her daughter. Shushing her gently she added, "It will only be a few weeks, not even a month. If you behave I'll let you out early, but I have to punish you for disobeying me, you do understand. If I didn't what do you think your sisters would think?"

Sigyn gave a nod, and her mother gently ushered her to the door where a maid was waiting. "Take Sigyn to her room. Make sure she gets a snack, and don't let her out to wander on her own."

The woman bowed and asked Sigyn to follow her. She did so, slowly and numbly. Wandering down the hall to her own room Sigyn began to wonder if Loki would keep his word of writing, if anything that would at least be a sunny spot to all this gloom that she felt. Inside her room she debated writing to him first, after all she needed to apologize for getting him in trouble. Then again, Sigyn considered, it was his actions not hers. Still, she felt she needed to do something, the more she thought on it the more she felt bad about his missing out on getting a reward.

Taking up her pen, she pulled out a scroll and wrote carefully addressed to him.

_Dear Prince Loki, _

_ I know this might be a surprise to hear from me so early. I was wondering how you are doing since our last meeting? Mother informed me that you had gotten into trouble for saying goodbye to me on my last day in Asgard. I am sorry if I was the cause of it. I too am being punished for a slight crime. I was attempting to unlock a room that belongs to my Mother and was caught in the act. I do hope this letter at least perks you up some and helps you with the time in your room. _

_Your friend_

_Lady Sigyn, _

_Daughter of the Goddess Freya_

With that she carefully rolled it up, wondering how to get it to him. Sigyn was pondering this at her desk when there was a knock on the door and Var stepped in holding out a snack of cookies for her. Beaming the little girl walked over and set them on the desk.

"The cook heard you got in trouble so he baked these for you."

"Why thank you, I'm glad to see a happy delivery person," Sigyn grinned, took one and bit into it. The warm taste melted in her mouth as she sipped the hot cider that came with it. Munching Var glanced at the scroll on her desk and nudged it with her finger.

"What's that?"

"A letter, to a friend," Sigyn explained. "But I don't know how to get it to them. I can't leave the room, and Mother won't let me send it."

"Why not?" Var asked curiously and hopped up on another chair in the midsized bedroom. Sigyn took a sip and thought of how to explain.

"Mother doesn't like my friend all that much," _And I can't say I do myself entirely either_, she thought but added, "So she probably won't take it to him when she goes to the palace."

"Oh," Var said and swung her legs, "Well I can help."

"You can?" Sigyn wanted to laugh and Var nodded over and over.

"Yes, yes, yes, I can, I can, I can."

"How," Sigyn shifted some to look at her sister who giggled as she wiggled on the chair.

"I know someone who's going into the city."

Sigyn grew puzzled at this. No one she knew was going to head into the city, at least none of her sisters or the servants, save those that headed in with her mother, and they would never take something that could potentially upset their mistress. Var giggled more as Sigyn inquire, "Who?"

"A man from the palace," Var said and hopped off the chair, then picked up the scroll. "He came to drop off a letter from Syn to Sjofn, so I'm sure he'd take this with him if I asked."

Sigyn got up and wrapped her arms around her younger sister, "I could just kiss you."

"Ewww, don't," Var pushed Sigyn back. "I'm too big for that."

Laughing Sigyn agreed and quickly addressed the scroll that was in Var's hand.

"Now you're sure he'll deliver it?"

"Yup, I'm sure," Var explained. "He seems to like Syn so he'll do anything to please her family."

"I'm sure he will," Sigyn said and gave Var another hug giving her thanks, before the girl departed. Feeling quiet relieved Sigyn wandered over to her bed and laid down, resting her head on the pillow she stared up at the painted ceiling and played with her flowered cover. Her mother had embroidered it a year ago for her and she took special care of it. It was one of the few things that she could say was her own and not some hand down from her older sisters. Closing her eyes she felt herself drift to sleep, dreaming of the Dwarves and oddly of a magpie that kept circling overhead.

It was some days later that her mother's heavier restrictions of not leaving her room were lifted, but Sigyn still was not allowed unescorted into the library. With the snow reaching higher, there was no way for her to head out and practice with her arm. Even though it still hurt, she was determined to win that archery competition, so she spent time practicing drawing her bow in the annex that over looked the gardens. It was on one of these days that she saw a rider coming to the house, and waving up at her. She waved back and went down to see her sisters all crowding the door as the man came in. He was covered in snow but Sigyn recognized him as soon as some of his red uniform came into view.

"Theoric," Freya embraced him warmly, "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"  
"Tidings from Nanna and Syn," he said holding up a bag, that he promptly opened and began to pull out. Handing them one at a time to the girls, who gushed gratefully he paused at one and set it to the side. After all the letters were handed out, each girl getting one from their sisters, he reached down to take up the last one and was about to put it back in his bag, when Sigyn quickly asked about it.

"This?" he motioned it to her and she nodded. Theoric waved it off. "It's probably a mistake or something. It's from the palace."

"Who's it for?" Freya inquired and he sighed, handing it over. She took it and read the addressee's name; a look of slight disbelief crossed her face as she held the letter out to Sigyn. "It's from you, from the desk of Prince Thor."

"Thor?" squeaked Sjofn and Lofn, who both rushed over to see, as Sigyn took it from her mother.

"What does it say," pleaded the elder girl as Lofn tried to reach for it.

"Clearly it's a mistake if it's addressed to you."

Sigyn clung to the letter, "No, I'm sure it's just him asking how I am after the whole fall."

"But why would Prince Thor care about you?" Lofn asked suspiciously as her Mother pinched her arm. "Ow, Mother."

"The Prince probably is inquiring due to his mother. That is all." Freya explained and Theoric shrugged when he was looked at by Lofn. Humphing she went back to her own letters muttering about not needing a dumb prince to write to her. Sigyn gave her mother a grateful look, though she was sure Freya would be querying about the letter later. Rushing to her room she shut the door behind her and dropped the other two scrolls on the desk to open the one from the palace. To her surprise it seemed quite perplexing as it sounded like it was being written by a secretary of some sort.

_Dear Lady Sigyn, Daughter of the Goddess Freya, _

_ We have received your letter to Prince Loki and regret to inform you that he is busy with particular business of his own matters, from which he cannot be disturbed at this time. He wishes you well and hopes that your hand is healing. He also sends his condolences about your being jailed for a simplistic crime and wishes you the best in your endeavor to escape. However he cannot answer your letters as they are, and so requests that you send all your questions and thoughts to your former attended, Sister Liv. All Letters addressed to the Prince will not be answered; all letters addressed to the Sister shall be responded to with the utmost of haste. We would suggest that you also be more cautious in who you send your mail from, as the person in question seemed quiet interested in why the daughter of Freya was writing to the Prince. _

_ For now though, we would like to note that the good sister would be interested in hearing about aspects of your home life if possible. In turn she shall send you information regarding what is happening at the palace. Such as the fact that the Prince's elder brother more recently was tricked into trying to capture a goat, which wound up nearly trampling him. Even after his brother suggested that he avoid the beast, Prince Thor insisted that he would "tame" it and win a bet with Volgstaff regarding the likelihood of the creature being ridden. So far the score seems to be, Goat: 12, Thor: 0. We would also like to note that your sister Nanna has become a teacher to Balder regarding some weapon aspects, and that the All-Mother seems very interested in their friendship. The Prince would also like to note that there is snow covering his window, and it looks very nice to play in. _

_Yours in Spirit_

_From the Desk of the Secretary_

_Of Prince Thor and Loki Odinsons_

Sigyn furrowed her brow some and considered the options. If she wrote to Sister Liv she could get it passed her mother, the only issue was that Frey may start asking about who Sister Liv was. She opened her other letters and read quietly. Nanna's told in more detail about her dealings with Balder and their new friendship, which seemed to please the older woman. Syn's letter on the other hand was pages and page of the daily dealings at the castle with the young women there, and her role as a helper to the handmaids of Gaea as of now. The long letter bored her to tears and she quickly skimmed most of it, noting only a part about seeing Prince Thor covered in goat dung and smelling terrible. She chuckled at this, and quickly put them away turning her attention to writing a letter to the good sister.

_Dear Sister Liv, _

_ I just wanted to let you know that I am doing well and in better spirits as of this writing. The snow is quite high by me, and mother is not letting me practice my archery. It was inevitable with the weather. Var and Snotra have built a snowman, as they call it, and are calling it Garuff the Frozen. _

She paused and rolled up the paper, walking out into the great hall where the others were now gathered, eating and drinking a light meal, and hearing stories from Theoric. Sitting down she glanced around at her family and was nodded to by Sjofn, who patted a spot on the long bench she, Var, and Snotra were sharing, as she came in. Joining them Sigyn whispered to her younger sister, "What's going on?"

"Theoric was telling us about some travels he's had with the Crimson Hawks. It's actually very exciting."

"Has he said anything about Idunn and Bragi?" Sigyn inquired and Sjofn put her finger to her lips to quiet her sisters. Sigyn bit her lip and glanced over at the young man who was taking a sip of the warm mead that he had in his hand. Theoric looked over her way and gave her a small smile as he set his drink down.

"So Lady Sigyn, did you find the letters interesting?"

Sigyn blinked some and folded her hands, "Well yes, Nanna was telling me about Balder and their sparing. Apparently according to Syn it's turning out to be a good match in regard to their skills. Although her own letter seemed less than thrilling for me," she paused and pushed back her braided behind her shoulder, "which makes me wonder, have you heard any good stories in regard to the palace?"

Theoric stroked his chin thoughtfully as he leaned back. Sigyn was sure that he had to have some stories and when he next spoke she was slightly disheartened. "There's not much to say in regards to the palace. They are doing some work there for the celebration, but nothing that I particularly know about. Though there has been some word about the possibility for the Jötunn Ambassador visiting once more, but that is only a rumor, not a fact. Other than that, if there is a majority of activity there I am not privy to it. Perhaps you can ask your sister?"

Sigyn nodded and scooted back, while Lofn started to ask about the maneuvers of the Hawks and the other guards. Her mind wandered back to the letter and she thought of what to add. Eventually while the others were in conversation, and after taking a few cookies to eat, Sigyn excused herself and went back to her room, grabbed her paper and quill, and headed to the music atrium. Sitting herself by a window she looked out over the white landscape and continued her composition, figuring if she couldn't tell Loki what was happening, she'd ask him questions. After all, Sigyn considered, he liked to think himself so clever, it would please him to prove it to her in some way.

She tapped her pen in the inkwell before continuing writing the letter in careful scrawl,

_The letter I received came from Theoric, who was telling us about maneuvers that he had been on recently. I wonder how far a Crimson Hawk can truly go on his rounds before feeling rather exhausted. Surely, Sister Liv, you can find that out for me? Then there is the issue of the Celebration that is coming. I heard that there will be an Ambassador appearing from Jötunheim, does that mean that they will be bringing more snow? And speaking of snow, how far does a flake fly in the wind? I've always wondered about that Sister? How does the Palace look for the Celebration? Is it as cheerful as I figure it could be?_

_ I would also like to ask how your trip was, and if you could tell me about it soon. I know when I departed we had very little time to really talk in much detail so I would be very much pleased to hear about your travels, and what you saw while there. _

_ I do hope to find you in good spirits Sister Liv. _

_With Much Thank_

_Lady Sigyn_

Rolling up the letter she carefully wrote out the address and sealed it tightly with a sash. Sigyn examined her work and was about to get up when she spotted a shadow in the door and turned to see Theoric hovering close by. He cocked his head and motioned to the letter. "Writing your friend?"

"What do you mean?" Sigyn asked calmly and got up to watch him puzzled. He shook his head and sat by the harp that Syn used to play daily. Plucking a few strings Theoric asked as he played.

"I mean are you writing a letter to a friend at the palace. Bragi mentioned to my mentor, who is an old friend of his, that you were making an acquaintance of a young woman there named Sister Liv. She apparently visited you on the day you left."

Sigyn inwardly sighed with relief, and then gave a short nod. "Aye, she's really quiet about our friendship, you see. She's worried that the other healers may get jealous or something. So we're trying to keep it on the quiet side."

"Ah," was all he said and played a few more notes, his eyes glancing at the letter as she sat back down. "So what did you write to her about?"

"Home," was all Sigyn said as she cleaned off the space on the small standing desk she had been using. "I told her about home. She hasn't had an easy life as far as I know."

Theoric nodded solemnly. She wondered if he was buying anything that she was saying, a part of her wondered if she was buying it either. But, the idea of letting him know she was still talking to Loki seemed…off putting, so she decided it would be better for all parties to keep the illusions going. He furrowed his brow some just then and looked at her, "You didn't receive word from Prince Thor then?"

"Oh, aye, I did. But it was just from his secretary telling me that it was better to not write to…" she paused and waved it off. "Never mind, he just told me not to bother them for now."

"Odd." Theoric plucked a low note and waited for a moment as it faded slowly. Sigyn shook her leg slightly, feeling nervous.

"Odd?" she parroted. He gave a neutral look.

"Yes odd."

"Why so?"

"Because," Theoric crossed his legs and played a note emphasizing each word he spoke. "Prince Thor doesn't have a Secretary."

Sigyn cursed in her mind and back-peddled, "Well that's who the letter was addressed from."

"Then you have had a trick played on you," Theoric looked at her seriously and then smiled as he reseated himself and began to play a real melody for her. Sigyn closed her eyes and let the song wash over her, drawing her into a calm feeling, and putting her head down with some guilt. "So tell me, who did you really write to?"

"Prince Loki," she admitted softly and looked at him. "But you're comments to me about his trip were the only reasons I did. After all the Skornhiem Mountains are not someplace you visit every day you know."

Theoric nodded clearly impressed that she had remembered what he had said those weeks ago. He looked at her thoughtfully and held out his hand, "I'll deliver the letter to your friend. Although I don't think writing to Prince Loki would be that wise. Your Mother may get wind of it, and given her thoughts on him I don't see her being too kind about her daughter being friends with a trickster."

"And how do you feel about him?" she asked in all seriousness. Theoric hummed a bit, taking in his own thoughts on the matter then let out a shoulder shrug.

"He's difficult for some, and to me I don't care for him, but he is still the Prince, and I have to respect that fact."

Sigyn nodded and stood, walked over and placed the letter in his open hand. She held on for a moment before letting go, "You will deliver this to Sister Liv then?"

"Aye, that I will," He took the scroll and stood up, again patting her head and smiled. "You have grown some since we last met on the range Sigyn, soon you'll be a young woman like your sisters and I fear that the eye of other cadets may follow you."

"Don't tease Theoric," she laughed in-spite of herself and gave his hand a squeeze. "You know that there will always be a place for you, even when I am old and gray."

He gently brought her hand to his lips, and bowing, kissed the top lightly. "Well I am glad to hear that my dear friend." Letting go he motioned to the door. "But I should take my leave; shall I escort you back to the great hall? Or are you going to stay here and play?"

Sigyn took a seat at the harp and brushed her fingers against the strings, "I think I shall stay here for a bit. It's quiet nice and I can watch the snow fall."

"As you wish," he smiled as he left, shutting the door behind him. Sigyn waited till he was gone and played with the strings of the harp some before wandering over to the window seat to watch the snow. Her eyes took in the falling flakes and she wondered if Loki would answer her questions, or ignore them. It was an odd feeling she had for the young prince and she couldn't quiet put her finger on what it meant to her as of yet. Whatever it was though, it made her happy that at least he had taken the time to write to her, and she hoped that he would soon send her another reply.


	20. Chapter 20: Quick Reply

**AN: So realized while writing this chapter it was too long and had to break it in two. I hope to finish the next two chapters over the course of the holiday weekend. Already have half of one done, working on finishing that. **

_**Copyright**_: Loki, Sigyn, and all other members of the Marvel Norse Pantheon are owned by Marvel Comics, and were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Leiber, as well as Roy Thomas and John Buscema.

* * *

The moment he had walked into the throne room Loki knew that he was going to be punished for his disobedience, it was written all over his father's face. Odin was standing on the dais, looming over him with his height and girth. In one hand was his spear, the other was clenched in a fist. Loki took a breath as he approached and bowed.

"Great Odin, you wished to see me?"

"Don't begin like that child. You dare to make a mockery of my court once again Loki! Why? Answer me! After I had allowed you the honor of attending battle with your brother, you deliberately avoid the celebration of your return?! You make little of a glorious event?! Why?! Answer me!" Odin boomed, striking his spear at the end, as much a judge and jury as he could be at the instant in Loki's eyes. The green eyed prince took a breath and seemed to think for several moments before saying simply.

"I was bored."

Odin stared at him speechless then grew red in the face.

"Bored," he roared and stormed down to Loki who held his ground as the All Father glare at him with deep distrust. "You were bored with what was to be an event to praise you…"

"Thor," Loki quickly cut in and Odin scowled.

"Your brother has nothing to do with this."

"Yes he does," Loki countered and returned the scowl.

"If I was left alone to go there, if it was just me and the others, you wouldn't have had such a celebration. You would, at the very most, give me a pat on the back and then proceed on your business. Let's just face the facts Father," his voice dripped with sarcasm, "that whole event was based on Thor and Thor alone. You cared only for the fact that he got Mjölnir, or perhaps that was the only reason you sent us out there."

Odin gazed at his son with contempt as Loki continued.

"I'm certain that you had begun to wonder just when Thor would be seen as worthy to capture that hammer, so you devised a plan to get it to him. You sent us out there to help, not because of the request, but because you knew that the King would fall. You knew because you were the one that set that whole situation with Mogul." Loki watched his Father's reactions like a hawk. Odin did not respond and the young prince inwardly smirked and scowled at the same time. On the one hand he was pleased that he was clever enough to estimate what was going on, though now he wanted details, on the other hand it sickened him that his father would willingly put others at risk to get Thor the hammer.

"You didn't, did you?" He inquired as Odin seemed to be in deep thought as he walked away from his son. Loki followed after him to a window and asked curiously, "Did you really set things into motion? Yes…I believe that you did, though, you did not set them the way they played out. You had no idea that Mogul would become so dangerous. So you sent us in to clean up, but why is my question. Why would you want Hogun's people savaged that way? But, you didn't plan on that, did you."

Loki moved around him slowly, speaking thoughtfully and ticked on his fingers. His eyes watched the old man with a keen interest. Now here was something interesting. If Odin had sent Amora out there to cause the trouble she did, he now had two pieces in play: Amora whom he had let go, and Odin, who he had figured had set about this course of action, which was just too perfect for him. The trouble with Loki though was that he could be too clever for his own good, and rather than step away from things, he pushed and at this moment he pushed a bit too hard.

"You set up things, sending the Enchantress over hoping she would find Mogul tempting to work with. But you also sent Tyr over to act as a voice of reason to the King. Yes, I see how it went now. You expected a fight; you were expecting a small war. This way you would be certain that the King allied himself with you. But this wasn't to be as things got out of hand and you had to send us all in for the clean-up. You were just probably going to send Thor and Sif out, weren't you, you needed me to go to act as a balance in the magic area," he paused before his Father. "Am I not right Father?"

The smirk on his face was slapped clear off when Odin back handed him hard enough that it sent the young teen stumbling back and landing, unceremoniously on his rump. Loki flinched and found blood on his lip. Discipline from Odin came in different forms; this was the first time in a long time that he had been slapped by his Father. Loki looked up slightly appalled by the man before him and stood up so as not to be in his shadow.

"I beg your highnesses forgiveness, that was out of line of me," Loki quickly stated feeling heat rise to his face and trying to not cry though this face stung worse than being hit by an ice ball. Odin lifted the boy's chin and stared at him.

"Never, think for a moment that I would put others in danger in such a way. EVER. Your life, your brother's life, each is precious to me in my own way. I did not willing send you out there for balance, I sent you out there because I knew that you had the skills to counter various obstacles. You're words just cost you a longer internment Loki." He motioned to the guards who came over and stood side by side next to Loki who watched him with a neutral gaze. Odin shoved his finger in his face. "Keep your thoughts of this matter to yourself, my son. Words mean more than you think, and given your nature, you may twist them to only cause harm."

Giving a curt nod Loki watched as his Father's temper cooled slightly and spoke in a cool tone, "You will be placed in your room until the Celebration. At that time I shall decide if you are sufficiently repentant of your actions today. Take him to his room, make sure that there's a ward spell on his door, I know how he likes to sneak out."

"Aye, Lord Odin." The guards bowed and then, crossing their spears, they shoved Loki from the room. He went willingly considering all that had happened and quiet pleased in the end. In his room he could work in private with the jinn and none would be the wiser.

It was several weeks later while he was alone in his room tossing the green crystal in the air, as he lay on his bed. The prism effect exploded starburst his walls in small twinkling green lights. He tossed, caught, and tossed again as he pondered the creature that lay within. Each time he tried to get the Jinn to wake up it promptly refused by not budging. Loki caught it one last time and held it up to his face, twisting it this way and that way.

"Exactly how do I get you to work?" he muttered perplexed at the object before him. Loki sighed and set it on a table, sitting up and staring out at the graying landscape. Snow was falling gently upon the city and he was bored, so very utterly bored with his detention. With the trees being bare it made it harder to sneak out his window in the form of a bird, so his exit plans had been lost. He now wished he had kidnapped Sigyn and hidden her in the castle, at least then he wouldn't feel so utterly blasé about everything. She was fun to toy with, and easy to be around in a way that pleased him. Though they could not go out, as he couldn't let others know he'd kept her, he would still find ways to entertain her. She certainly could have used his help with her goal as well; it would have been an interesting adventure.

He stood, wandered over to the window to look out, and then wondered if there was a chance he could slip out. Perhaps fly off somewhere and trick her into meeting him. It would certainly be interesting to say the least, better than staying stuck there, with a jinni that was uncooperative. Loki considered these possibilities when he recalled that she had not kept her word, he'd received no letter from her. Then again, he'd not written to her either, deciding to keep her waiting on it to see who would be the first to budge. This had been a rather dull game, since he figured she was going to be as stubborn as he was.

_I wonder just exactly who she preferred though in the end, Sister Liv or myself,_ that question had nagged him for some time. It was the fact that when dressed as the good Sister he could get closer to her then if he was the Prince, however it also meant that he wasn't completely his normal self, which begged the question of who's affections she was seriously looking at, his or the fake Sister that he had concocted. His mind was playing a puzzle with him over this matter when he heard a knock on his door. Loki raised an eyebrow as it was opened by a servant, who was proceeded by a young man bearing a scroll.

True Loki could not leave, but others could come in, but they chose not to, save his brother and Volgstagg, so it was odd to have a stranger standing there before him dressed in his finery and nervously looking around the room as if anticipating a trap. Loki gave him a quick smile, one that he knew would still make the intruder wary, but polite enough that it kept him from running out of the room.

"Your Highness, this is Arlan, he works in the financial area of the palace," the Servant said bowing. "He wanted to speak to you in private, he said it was important."

"I see, well then then," he said graciously enough, and the man bowed to him as the Servant turned and exited leaving the two alone. Once the Servant was gone Loki dropped the polite smile and stared at the man. "Well what do you want to say to me? I'm rather busy so it's best you hurry up."

"Aye, my lord, it's just…" Arlan said holding out a letter. "It's from the house of the Goddess Freya, Prince Loki, sir. I was there trying to deliver a letter from lady Syn, when I was given this by her younger sister. She said it was to be delivered to you, sir."

Loki reached out and snatched the scroll. Untied he glanced over it quickly then paused, and smirked. "So she gave in first."

"Um…beg your pardon, your Highness?" Arlan looked at him confused as Loki turned around and quirked his lips.

"Nothing, never mind that," he waved it off and sat down. "You said you went to Lady Freya's home to deliver a letter from her daughter Lady Syn?"

"Aye, my lord, she's quiet the beauty. I saw her at the spring festival and the few times she came in to Asgard with her mother. More recently, your grace, I've been seeing her around the palace doing work for some of the higher handmaidens." Arlan looked away; clearly embarrassed by the fact that he had been watching the young woman. Loki smirked; this was turning out to be a very good day for him.

"Seems you are quiet smitten," Loki commented, sitting up he steeped his fingers after resting his elbows on the arms of the chair. "Tell me, what would you do if I could get her to be your date for the Midwinter Celebration?"

Arlan went slack jawed for a moment then began to fumble with his words as he tried to speak.

"I…I would…I would be honored sir! Truly I would be if that was the case. I would do anything to have that chance."

A grin caressed Loki's lips as he stood and strolled over to the taller man, "Well then, we shall make a deal. There will be letters that will be coming, very soon, for a Sister Liv. You will get these letters and deliver them to me; in turn you will deliver the letters in reply from Sister Liv. If you do this, and do not tell anyone, I will make certain that Lady Syn will be ever so attentive to you at the Celebration." He extended his hand, "Do we have a deal?"

Arlan stood there a moment, surprised and slightly scared. He'd heard that making a deal with Loki was, for all intents and purpose making a deal with a dark elf. You never knew for certain if he would keep his end of the bargain. Loki waited, a twinge of a smile slithered onto his young face as the man stood there twisting in his own paranoia. He could easily find another sap to make this deal with, Syn was a choice beauty and it wouldn't take much to sucker someone into helping for the chance to even hold her hand.

"Well?" He coaxed and, after a moment of hesitation, Arlan reached out and shook his hand. Loki grinned. "Excellent. So, your first task will be to deliver a reply to this letter once I have crafted it. You'll also be my servant from this time till the day of the Celebration."

"Servant, but, your highness you never said anything about…" started the young man and Loki waved his hand silencing him with a glare. Arlan fell silent as the young prince spoke.

"Do you, or do you not want Syn to be yours for that night?"

"Well yes."

"Then do as I say," Loki said darkly. He calmed himself and added, with a more gentle voice, "You will run a few errands for me when I need you too; nothing to hard, really just gathering supplies for me since I can't leave this room."

"Supplies sir?" Arlan asked and Loki gave a nod. "Like what?"

"Like whatever I need," Loki snapped back, he was wondering if this dunce would be the best choice. "You'll check in daily in the morning, I'll have a list for you for that day. When you have the items gathered, you'll bring them back to me. As for the letters, you'll make sure that they get to the addressee. Do not, under any circumstances look at what is in the letter, or you shall be in serious trouble, understand?"

"Yes, your grace," Arlan bowed and Loki motioned to the door.

"Wait outside, when I'm finished, I'll call you and give you this." Arlan nodded and headed right for the door, hoping to get out of the dark prince's room, Loki called to him, stopping the young man in his tracks. "And Arlan, don't think of leaving. I'll know if you are gone."

Paling slightly Arlan slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him. Once alone Loki quickly went to his desk and read the letter to himself. He did not smirk, nor smile, but sat there thoughtfully taking in each word that she had written. It was short, to the point, but clearly she wasn't sure what to write about to him. Loki had to chuckle a little at this, even with all her direct comments to him on the day that she had left; there was still a sense of nervousness around him.

The letter addressed him as prince, so he assumed that she was trying to be formal, but at the same time the paragraph below seemed to indicate a respect or, possible, a feeling of caring about him. What surprised him was that she was in trouble as well, and he wondered if she was caught dealing with him. If that were the case she probably would have said so, he assumed, so that left a more personal matter that she had gotten punished over. It was amusing to him that she was in the same situation as he was. Trapped in a cage, not of their own making, but one created by formalities and circumstances, something neither clearly enjoyed. Again he wondered if it was too late to kidnap her and hide her, or perhaps they both could take a journey to a different area of the seven realms and hide out. It would certainly be a grand adventure.

Loki set aside the letter, keeping in mind that she was showing concern for his situation, but realized that if he answered as himself, even with his servant delivering the letters; it wouldn't be long before someone noticed and would want to see it. Any close communication between them, if caught by her mother, would signal the end of any entertainment they could have with these letters. So instead he offered her a way of still communicating, but without the hassle that she could get.

Taking pen to parchment Loki quickly devised a long letter that covered both of them should the letter fall into the wrong hands. The fake secretary was easy to cover for, his mother had one and he could just say he asked her to write in response. So it was rather amusing writing out the reply. With quick strokes he composed his reply.

_Dear Lady Sigyn, Daughter of the Goddess Freya, _

Loki stared at the intro and raised an eyebrow. Was that too formal? He wanted it to sound like it was coming from someone in a position below him, but at the same time not too stuck up.

_ We have received your letter to Prince Loki and regret to inform you that he is busy with particular business of his own matters, from which he cannot be disturbed at this time. He wishes you well and hopes that your hand is healing. He also sends his condolences about your being jailed for a simplistic crime and wishes you the best in your endeavor to escape._

Loki glanced over at the crystal muttering, "Once I'm done with this, you're next on my 'to do' list."

He continued, urging her to be more careful of whom she trusted with her letters, and to address them to Sister Liv, who would answer as soon as she received them. Which was true, he intended to do so. Pausing Loki read over everything, and then quickly he added.

_ For now though, we would like to note that the good sister would be interested in hearing about aspects of your home life if possible. In turn she shall send you information regarding what is happening at the palace. Such as the fact that the Prince's elder brother more recently was tricked into trying to capture a goat, which wound up nearly trampling him. Even after his brother suggested that he avoid the beast, Prince Thor insisted that he would "tame" it and win a bet with Volgstagg regarding the likelihood of the creature being ridden. So far the score seems to be, Goat: 12, Thor: 0. We would also like to note that your sister Nanna has become a teacher to Balder regarding some weapon aspects, and that the All-Mother seems very interested in their friendship. The Prince would also like to note that there is snow covering his window, and it looks very nice to play in. _

As he wrote the middle section he let out a chuckle, the few times he was able to escape from his room had been because of Thor being his escort, so he was able to witness the first time that Thor tried to ride the goat. It was all fun and games to be honest, after all Thor was the sort of person that could never resist a physical type of challenge.

_Yours in Spirit __From the Desk of the Secretary __Of Prince Thor and Loki Odinsons_

Pleased with his reply Loki quickly rolled it up, sealed it and gave a sharp rap on his door. Arlan answered quickly, looking a bit queasy as the scroll was handed over.

"Make sure this is delivered with the most haste," Loki instructed and then shut the door on the financers face. Delighted that he now had some form of entertainment it gave him renewed energy to deal with the jinn. Walking over to the table where the crystal lay, he picked it up and brought it over to the window, pulling three books out with him on the lands to the south and older forms of magic from the continent. The jinn was a trickster, that much he knew, he had thought it was going to be just as simple as rubbing it and the jinn would emerge from its slumber. Not so, it seemed, and Loki began to page though the books mercilessly looking up anything he could on jinn's in general.

So it was for the days that followed the snow came down heavily, so any departure from the capital was delayed for a while. It was because of this change of weather that his mother had managed to secure an early release for him. Though he had freedom Loki still kept Arlan working for him, sending him on odd tasks while he meandered around the library. The ancient room had been built by his uncles as a room of studies, and covered in walls and walls of texts, scrolls, and writings. Loki wandered around quietly tapping his fingers against the books as he walked, dust coming off some that clearly had not been read in years, others having warn covers and pages from excessive use.

For Loki the room was a place of peace, where his brother and his friends did not frequent. That wasn't to say that Thor and the others didn't come in there, but they were more likely, 'experiencing life' as their elders told the two princes, while Loki just 'read' about it. He never really understood the need to experience things like fighting, it was grand enough, and he could fight well, it was just so much easier to war with knowledge in your head than planning a showdown on the spot knowing nothing other than 'stab your opponent'. So here he came when he wanted time alone to think, to not feel so insignificant in the eyes of others. It was here that he had first learned his first spells of magic, and it was here that he knew he could find the right item to use on the jinn in the crystal.

Loki made his way to the center of the room where three old women sat reading over scrolls. The three were known as sisters, even though only two truly were, and had been keepers of the books since long before he was born. The twins were the eldest there, both in bright colored robes of blue, the one on the left reading a large epic, and green, the one on the right who had her eye on a love poem Loki was sure. The one in the middle, dressed in pink and yellow, was the youngest there and had a pair of pince-nez that she had affixed to her nose as she glanced over several lengthy history scrolls.

There had been stories of these women and how they had come about as keepers of these books, one of them included the idea that the twins had been at one time trees that Loki's uncles had intended to carve into boats but they had convinced them to carve them into women. He did not know much about the middle one, only that she kept a rabbit at her side at all times, and seemed to wilt in the winter months, thus stayed near windows when she could to lift her spirits. Approaching the tall desk he bowed to them in his most gracious way, and the one in the middle looked up.

"Ah young Loki, to what do we sisters owe this pleasure?"

"Lady Ostara, I'm delighted to see you again, and your sisters." The young prince said with a smile. "I'm actually looking for books on creatures known as jinn and how to control them."

Ostara peered at him from over her scroll, her long hair framing her face to make her look rather owl like. Her face seemed to float between youth an age as she fixed her glasses. The other two, Ask, a woman who's graying hair was piled up high on her head, raised an eyebrow and glanced at her twin, Embla, who had her hair in a bun and was dressed simplistic compared to Ask, and motioned with her head to Loki. The young man looked between them and coughed, "Is something wrong ladies?"

"Well this is the first time in a long time anyone has inquired about jinn," Embla said in her soft voice, which to Loki echoed in the air stirring up feelings of long dead apparitions. "It is rare for anyone to ask about that subject."

"Ah, but you do have such material right?" Loki inquired and Ask sniffed her voice deeper than the other two with a lower rumbling tone.

"Aye, we do, but what is it to you boy? Jinn's haven't been around in eons."

"So I see," was all Loki could mutter. He looked around thinking on his feet. "Well I was curious since in Hogun's land there was a jinn, I saw him and wondered how they were controlled?"

Ostara eyed him keenly, "Is that the truth."

"Yes," he said looking back into her eyes, not daring to flinch. The strange goddess glanced at her sisters, as if in silent discussion, then they all nodded, with her answering. "Give us a moment, wander, when you return you shall have your books."

Loki smiled and bowed, rapidly vanishing among the shelves and rows of cases. Once out of sight he let out a breath, which he didn't realize he'd been holding. Wandering around a bit Loki found himself glancing over various books on the Vanir, and their past with the Aesir. He leaned against a wall, looking over a large tome with pictures of the neighboring land of Vanaheim. It wasn't long before he grew tired of staring at sea shell motifs and closed the book, setting it back on the shelf. While the history was interesting, there was only so much even he could take, and at the moment Loki was far more concerned about his jinn then the many ways that sea coral was used to craft a throne.

Glancing over to the women, he saw that they were still gone from their desk and decided to again venture into looking at some history and legends. Perusing the books he tapped on their covers, mentally playing a game to choose the one he would read, and eventually settled on one about various customs from around the regions. He cracked open the book and read the first page he landed on, surprised to read a passage about his mother's people.

"During the early reign of king Haakon it was a common action for a noble of the court to mark, or tattoo, their choice of lover as a means of identifying that the person in question was under their protection. The mark could also signify that the person was their spouse, thus engaged to the noble. As such a mark could be used as a proposal for marriage, should it be agreed to this by the ruler at the time. The marking usually remained on the person until the ink wore off, thus the wedding needed to take place before such an event occurred." Loki read aloud and cocked an eyebrow at this. It was an odd custom to say the least, and clearly one that had long fell out of fashion before the war between the kingdoms, however this one had an odd touch to it that Loki liked.

"I wonder if there was a way to keep the mark on for a significant amount of time, rather than just inking it on." He muttered as he snapped the book shut and set it aside. Curious Loki browsed through other books to see if there was any more on the matter, however the little that he did find seemed to indicate that if the wedding, or pact, did not take place, then the mark was put on again or a new one was to replace it. The other matter was that the mark was to be in the shape of a symbol that represented the person making it, so that others recognized that the person that bore the tattoo was under the protection of the one that left the marking on them.

Pleased at his finding Loki paced back to the center desk where, to his delight, the women had gathered several books on the subject regarding jinn. Ostara gave him a curt nod when he approached.

"I trust these shall be enough?"

"Aye, more than enough," Loki smiled at them and, heaving the books into his arms, gave a shaky bow, "I thank you ladies, and shall return the ones I do not need at this time."

"And you will sign out the ones that you want, correct young prince?" questioned Embla in her soft way.

"Of course," he said knowing full well that if he didn't keep his word here, they would chase him down. Heading to a small corner he set the stack down upon a table, and quickly flipped through the pages. Those that seemed to be more on the history of the creatures and the way they worked, he kept. Those that were about the legends that surrounded them, he set aside, figuring that they were not as important as the small stack of four he had on the creatures themselves. Pleased with his choices, Loki brought the books back, and scratched his name into the large tally sheet that Ask presented him upon his return.

Bidding the women a farewell Loki beat a hasty retreat from the room and up the stairs to his study. He was keeping the jinn's crystal now in a small case, under his bed, and with the books in hand he could work out the puzzle of controlling it. Giddy with anticipation he nearly missed Theoric who was standing at the top of the stairs. Loki slowed when he spotted the man and blinked perplexed.

"Can I help you?" Loki paused a few steps away from the young cadet, and waited for a response. He didn't like the man, not one bit, and it showed in his demeanor when Theoric approached. Loki became stiffer, more refined and certainly cooler in tone. "Is there something you need, Theroic?"

The older man came down a few steps and now stood five above Loki. He looked at him then pulled out a scroll, "From Lady Sigyn."

Loki looked at the scroll, then at the man and sniffed, "So. What of it?"

"It's a letter," Theoric drawled slowly holding it out to Loki and giving him an exasperated look. Loki again glanced at it then at Theoric.

"I can see that _Cadet_," he made sure to emphases the rank. "What I mean is why are you holding it out to me?"

"Well," Theoric pulled his arms back and lowered his brow as he stared at Loki. "If you must know, I was given this by Lady Sigyn, while visiting her home."

"And," Loki said trying to move around him, ignoring the voice in his head that was curious as to _why_ Theoric had gone there, and rather focus on the why he had a letter from Sigyn in the first place, and not Arlan, "Could you move, I have things to do."

"Oh, of course, I suppose I should return this to her then since I can't find the recipient," Theoric explained stepping aside and letting Loki pass him on the stairs. Theoric placed the scroll back in his tunic and turned to head down the stairs, then looked up. "You're not curious at all?"

"Should I be?" Loki rolled his eyes, then set the books down and turned to face Theoric. Now he was at a better vantage point being above the man. Theoric seemed perturbed by this and scowled some.

"Yes, you should. After all, you did have someone send out a letter to Lady Sigyn did you not?"

Loki sucked in a breath through his nose, trying not to react. The idiot had somehow let out that there had been a letter sent from him to Sigyn. This was bad, not just for him though he would get the lesser of the trouble, but more for Sigyn as Loki knew that her mother didn't trust him in the least. He stared down at Theoric as if curious about the letter, "You don't say?"

"I do say," Theoric said indignantly and pulled the letter out. "I delivered it myself to her."

That got a reaction from the prince, and Theoric noticed it, though diverted his eyes. Loki's hands clenched for just a moment, and then his fingers relaxed one by one, very slowly.

"I see, and how did it come to you to deliver a letter that _I_ or someone under my control to Lady Sigyn," he waved his hand flippantly as if to indicate the likelihood was absurd. "I don't recall ever giving you such a thing, nor have we spoken since that day. You do remember that day, don't you Theoric?"

"Aye," the older man said grimly. "I do. But it was not by your hand that this letter was given. I got it from a fellow that was sick from the cold. He heard I was heading out to visit Lady Freya for Nanna, and gave me a letter to be delivered to Lady Sigyn. So I did so, and was asked by her to return a letter to a Sister Liv."

Loki examined his nails, seemingly bored by the commentary. "And what does that have to do with me?"

Theoric took a step forward and Loki put his hand behind his back considering what spell to use on the man should he be attacked by him. However Theoric stopped and again held out the scroll to Loki, "It seems to have a lot to do with you Prince Loki."

Loki raised an eyebrow at this and leaned against the banister, crossing his legs at his ankles.

"A lot? Like what exactly Cadet Theoric? You can't just say that it has a lot to do with me and expect me to know about something that I clearly don't." He yawned, "So spit it out, I haven't got all day to gossip as you do."

Theoric huffed and turned, "If you're going to be a brat, then why bother giving this to you. You probably are right, you know nothing of it, and so I will give it to your brother. Perhaps he can tell me where to find this Sister Liv."

In a moment Loki appeared before him on the steps and Theoric nearly tumbled back. He let out a gasp, which made Loki smile that he had startled the man, though at the moment he was more concerned about Thor discovering his game.

"Now let's not be so fast," Loki said gently and showed Theoric more respect. "Why not just tell me why you think I should know about any of this, rather than running off to tell my big brother."

"Given your attitude, why should I?"

"Because, you and I both know that he may talk to Lady Freya, and we both know how she feels about her daughters communicating with those she doesn't personally know, am I right?" Loki inquired as he reached out and grasped the paper, which Theoric held on tightly to.

"Agreed, but I'm not just handing over this letter to you like that."

"Then tell me what your problem is and I'll see if I can enlighten you in some way," Loki yanked again, and once more the cadet didn't release the scroll. He wanted to push him down the stairs, grab the paper and run away from the unconscious man he would leave lying on the stone floor. But he knew that if word got around about that, then he was sure to be named as the one that caused the 'accident'. His offer though got to Theoric who nodded and explained.

"I was given this letter by Sigyn herself," Loki's calm face became shadowed at the familiarity; he crossed his arms as the man went on. "She asked me to deliver it to a Sister Liv. I assumed such a person was the young woman that helped her out while she was healing here in Asgard."

"Yes, I did hear something about that. But I do not see how this matter is with me."

Theoric prayed for strength to not hit the boy over the head, hard, due to his stubbornness to listen to what he was saying.

"The matter is, Prince Loki, when I went to see the healers of Eri, I asked around about a Sister Liv, and found there was one. But, while records indicated that she did help with Lady Sigyn, the woman herself does not recall actually working with her. And," he added cautiously looking over the boy prince, "the girl that was seen with her bears a rather similar figure to yours."

Loki blinked some and scowled, "Are you calling me a woman now? Implying that I broke my word to Lady Idunn? That I was there with her sister all that time?"

"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't put it past you to try a trick like that Lord Loki, you aren't known as the Prince of Tricks for nothing." Theoric held the letter closer to him. "Do you know who this Sister Liv is?"

Loki stared at him for a moment, a plan formulating quickly in his crafty mind. It was a simple way to get the letter and get out of trouble, something even Theoric would see as reasonable and he bowed.

"It seems my little game has been undone, well done Cadet Theoric."

"Pardon?"

"You have figured out a part of my game," Loki admitted spinning his perfect lie ever so graciously to the young Crimson Hawk. He carefully danced around his explanation laying out details that never happened.

"You see, I had wanted to check up on Lady Sigyn but found no way to, so on the day of her visit to Eri, I disguised myself as a sister as a means of seeing her. However I was discovered by a young woman that worked there, who wasn't quite yet a healer. When she found out the reason I was there, she sympathized with me, and did me the favor of pretending to be Sister Liv, who was to help out Lady Sigyn. We later conspired, her and myself, to entertain Sigyn," he made certain that Theoric heard him also be casual with her. "So she became Sister Liv and visited her and would inform me of events and how well her progress was going; nothing more and nothing less."

Loki waited as Theoric took in the information, and questioned, "Where is the young woman now? Do you know her name?"

"Aye, but she doesn't want it to get out of her actions," Loki quickly said as he grasped hold of the letter, this time pulling it away from Theoric, who seemed a bit unsure of the whole thing. Loki clung to the letter, and added hastily, "I will make certain this gets to her. Rest assured I will not play a trick on Lady Sigyn. She is, rather special is she not Cadet Theoric."

"She is," Theoric conceded and sighed. He knew that Sigyn would not want him to fight with the Prince, Valhalla only knew why she trusted the boy, but she did, and he wasn't one to break his word. "You give me your promise to give this to the girl?"

"I shall see to it at once," Loki commented and picked up his books. "One of the handmaids that assist my mother has a sister that works with Lady Eri. I shall as her to deliver it to the girl in question. I'm sure she will find a way to deliver it in return to Lady Sigyn."

Theoric, seeing that the Prince wasn't about to let the letter out of his clutches again, and not wishing to fight, agreed and nodded curtly. Taking a bow he took his leave heading down the stairs and vanishing into the doors to one of the other halls. Alone Loki grinned and let out a soft cheer as he ran to his room, slamming the door shut and locking it. Now he was in need of getting the jinn to work for him. With its magic the creature could turn into something that could weather the storm and deliver the letters to Sigyn without any issues, and, since it would be contracted, as Loki considered himself its master, there would be no issues in regards to how the letters would be passed as he would have control of it.

Feeling very confident the young prince set down the books and went over to the desk, and carefully whispered a word into a knothole. Instantly a secret drawer opened containing a dark wooden box. Loki pulled it out and lifted the top, inside was the crystal that he had out a few days before. He would deal with Arlan all in good time, for now he was going to focus on the jinn. Lifting it up he smiled, "You're going to be my messenger soon enough, friend."

_Before that though,_ he thought, placing it back on the table he pulling open the letter and read it slowly. As his eyes skimmed the pages he leaned back on a chair that he'd sat in and pulled a knee up to his chest. _So she's in better spirits this is a good thing. Ambassador, I haven't heard of such a thing. _

Tapping the paper to his chin the young prince thought of how to reply and looked at the crystal. The questions were a bit strange, and almost seemed like a trick. A slight smirk came over his lips as he chuckled. _Oh this is a game we shall play, something to make me think._

He pulled a fresh piece of parchment from the main drawer and quickly took pen to paper as he wrote.

_Dear Lady Sigyn, _

_ I was delighted to receive your letter this afternoon, and am glad that you are in better spirits then your last letter. So it seems that we are both out of the dog house right now, although I am sorry to hear that you can't practice. I should hope that you weren't going to fire into any more trees any time soon, at least I don't think you will, unless you wish to make that a wager? You're sisters seem very cleaver with their naming; I had a laugh when I read what they called their snowman. Although personally I would have called him "The Frosted" still it has a certain feel to it. I should hope that they were rewarded for such a name?_

_You do pose some interesting questions for me to answer, which I shall get to in a moment, but I have to know what maneuvers was your friend Theoric talking about? I have not heard about such matters here at the palace, unless he was with the band that went out to check on matters for Lord Tyr again. I suppose he must have meant that. The Hawks are a bit, showy, for my taste to be frank with you, but I'm sure that you got a good story out of him at least. Now for your first question, that depends on the type of Crimson Hawk, if you can tell me that I can give you an answer, or do you not know the type of Hawk?_

_Second question, I have not heard anything of the Jötunheim Ambassador coming for the Celebration, but that doesn't mean there's a chance of that. Though I pray that that is not the truth, I have my own personal reason to dislike that man. In short though, the Jotuns do not bring the snow, the snow brings them. They are cold blooded creatures that fear very little, and are sometimes rather stupid in nature. At least some are in the warrior class, those in the noble ranks are certainly far more intelligent then they like to let on. _

_Thirdly the snowflake is a curious creature. It floats rather swiftly over the air after being released by the winter goddess Skadi, sometimes landing in the most unusual of places. By estimation it can fly wherever it pleases, so you can't really tell how far it can go, it chooses where to go on sheer determination alone, and depending on its will it can travel rather far. _

_The palace is;_ he paused here to think of the best way to describe it. The decorations weren't up yet, but preparations were underway, so he said as much. _Not quite ready, there are various items that need to be designed for the festivities. Such as gathering the holly and the ivy, preparing the garlands with bows and gold, they are also in search of a Yule log, and getting special candles ready. All should be up soon though, Lady Frigga makes certain of that. You do realize that it will be three days being here, perhaps this time I will make good on my offer before. _

_As for my trip, it was interesting to say the least. To begin with the people in the city were quiet friendly. Upon my arrival they showered me with a warm greeting and roaring good cheer. _He stared at the page, telling her about the strange monsters could come better in person; he would save that for the party. _There were various events that occurred, we worked beside my cousin Tyr and your Uncle Frey, I believe, in taking care of some rather serious business. The main thing about the land was it was quite lovely and quiet. The people there wore warm fur all, or most of, the year long. The castle was a sight to behold, lots of red and gold garnishing, marble floors, and most interesting, a grand hall that could fit the entire grove for the apples, and still have space. _

_But this is all I shall give you now, little Sigyn, for the rest I shall tell you in person while you are here. I am quite well now, I have been given some free time and I'm working on a project. You may see it soon enough. _

_Wishing you well_

_Sister Liv_


	21. Chapter 21: Asgard Mail Service

**AN: Sorry about the length of these chapters, I keep having writing tangents and I'm trying to weave them in, but sometimes they wind up going longer then I suspected. **

_Copyright: All materials belong to Marvel Comics. _

* * *

It was the following week that Loki dared to send her the letter, although he figured that trusting Arlan with the scroll was out of the question now that Theoric had gotten his hands on it. Loki was lying in bed tapping the paper to his chin, and pondering the possibilities of what to do. He could try to take it himself, but that would more trouble than it was worth, or he could try to do it by a messenger other than Arlan. The issue was that even if he did that, it might illicit suspicion from Freya, or even his mother. It wasn't that either woman would mind, per-say that their children were conversing, it was the fact that he knew they were both close and Freya wasn't the sort to trust him. As a child he'd managed to steal a few of her items as part of a joke, which only landed him, Fandrel and Thor into more trouble than the whole theft was worth. So, the likely hood of her being _okay_ with her daughter hanging around him was not very high.

He rolled over on his stomach and glanced at the box that was now holding the crystal that sat on his table. He'd gotten it out early and had been debating how to go about learning about the creature inside. Smacking his lip he muttered aloud, "What would you do?"

Of course the Jinn didn't respond, why would it? It was happily sleeping in the crystal not having to do anything at all. Loki heaved a sigh and rolled onto his back to look up.

"What to do, what to do," he muttered and thought. His eyes roamed over to where he'd hid the clothing he'd taken from the healers and furrowed his brow. There was one thing he could try. Since the Jinn had not been trained just yet, and he knew now that Arlan wasn't as good as his word, there was Theoric. Sigyn trusted him, and as far as he could tell other than knowing the name Sister Liv, the young cadet knew nothing of his friendship with Sigyn. Loki knew that it might not be completely true, Sigyn may have told him herself, but he was sure that she was enjoying this game too.

Decided he sat up and shook his head, getting the blood back down. Once he felt sure that he could stand, Loki made his way to his wardrobe and pulled out a long box. Inside were the sister's robes, which he swiftly put on and checked to make sure that his recent growth spurt had not made them too tight or tore anything. Satisfied that it looked decent, he grabbed his longer cloak, wrapped himself up and stuffed the veil into his pocket along with the letter. Sneaking out of his room was not a challenge; it wasn't too hard to distract the guards with illusions and sounds. They would scatter around like insects whose nest had been poked leaving an easy opening for Loki to run down the hall and down the stairs. The trick though was getting out of the palace grounds without being stopped.

Since the holiday season was coming the palace was busy in a flurry of activity. Holly and ivy were hung from the walls, mistletoe was decorating doorframes, and Loki took note of where they were so that he wasn't caught by some random noble woman that had had a bit too much to drink. With all the activity he was sure that someone would want to know where he was going, so he stayed to the walls and shadows. His main target of getting past was his mother who would notice him from any distance and want to know what he was up to. Taking a deep, calming breath, Loki zeroed in on a group of servants heading out in a large gaggle. Moving swiftly the young prince mixed in with them quietly, glanced back at his mother, and smirked as he passed through the main doors of the palace.

The cold wind caught him by surprise, but Loki quickly adapted and made his way down the path to the cadet barracks. The snow under foot crunched with each step and he tugged on the veil to cover his face. Cold never seemed to bother him the same way it did his brother and the others. They had to wear thick fur, while he was fine in lighter clothing, though layers did help to keep the wind from making him feel itchy, but he pretended it did as he didn't want to seem the odd one out. Wandering along past the healing temple Loki paused for a moment, smiling slightly at the memories he had when he was able to see Sigyn. Friends, that's was how he was seeing her and he pulled out his letter to reread it. He wanted to be sure that everything was in order, and then stopped when he saw what he had written.

"Cousin Tyr," Loki stared at it and cursed under his breath. How had he made such a mistake? He figured his mind had to have been occupied with other things and was in such a rush that he'd missed it. Sighing he went over to one of the bare trees and broke off a small twig. With a quick spell he had it charred just enough to act as a pencil and scratched out "Cousin Tyr" inserting above it, _"Lord Tyr"_. Hoping that it was enough of a cover, he rerolled the page and stuffed it back into his shirt.

There was no time to waste and he made his way down past the officers' quarters and around to where the cadets stayed. From a distance he could smell the smoke from their fire and thought of the warmth of his own room. Outside there were young men shoveling, pausing to throw some snowballs and cheerfully shouting at one another.

"Tis the season," Loki muttered and walked up to the gated area. The barracks were around three stories high, with thick walls and small rooms, whose windows all faced outside. From where he stood Loki could make out various movements inside the rooms and pondered if some of the Sisters would come here to watch. It sent a wry chuckle down his back as he walked at a leisurely pace for the dorm. The men looked up as he came closer and one rather beefy man came out to meet him.

"Halt," he held up his hand to stop Loki, who raised his eyebrows with a slight 'humm'. The man stood before him and gazed at him seriously, a hand on his hip. "Sister I'm sorry to stop you, but you know the rules, no women allowed on the barrack grounds."

"Ah," Loki drawled in a sweet tone and laughed, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'm new here, it's my first day and I was hoping to see a longtime friend of my family's. He's here as a cadet."

The young man smiled pleasantly, "Well that's okay. Just as long as you remember to not come any closer than the gate," –he thumbed back over his shoulder to a large wooden fence that encircled the building –"there shouldn't be any trouble. I can ask him to meet you out here. What's his name?"

"Cadet Theoric," Loki said pleasantly and tilted his head to the side looking rather childish. "I haven't seen him in a few months."

"Theoric," the young man muttered. "I'll see what I can do."

With that the young man hurriedly ambled back through the gate and vanished into the building. Loki let out a breath and watched it float into the air as a smoky huff. His fingers reached out to touch it as it moved away from him and he wondered if having warm breath meant that he had a warm heart as well. It was something his mother had told him as a child, and yet there were times when he couldn't feel anything for anyone there. The odd sensation that crept through his body made him want to turn and leave, find some other means of communicating with Sigyn, but before he could enact his plans, he heard the crunch of footsteps come closer, and he looked up to see Theoric walking towards him.

The young cadet raised his eyebrows when he saw him and seemed rather curious, though it was clear that the disguise was good enough that it fooled him. Loki bowed slightly and smiled.

"Theoric I presume?"

"Yes," he bowed to Loki and as he stood up asked, "And who might you be miss? I was a bit surprised when I was told an old family friend was waiting for me out here."

"Ah, well that was the only thing I could think of," Loki waved it off just as quickly as he could. His voice was a calming sweet falsetto, or as high as he could reach at the moment, "I'm Sister Liv, or rather the girl Miss Sigyn knows as Sister Liv. Prince Loki dropped off her letter and told me that you were the one to deliver it?"

"Yes," he said with a smile. "Good to know he kept his word at least. Would you care to go someplace warmer? I was hoping to get to know you since Sigyn mentioned you quite a bit…"

His request was cut off by a shake of the head from the prince, "I'm sorry there's no time. I have to get back to work you see, duty and all that to Lady Eri."

"Quite understandable," Theoric said, still a bit puzzled by the Sister's presence. However that changed when Loki withdrew the scroll from his shirt and held it out to Theoric. "You'll be heading back there soon yes?"

"Well not right away," Theoric admitted and Loki frowned.

"Oh?"

Theoric shook his head and kicked some at the snow, sending a spray off to the side. Loki raised an eyebrow as the man explained, "Our leader decided it was best to hold off on travel for a few days until the ice melts some."

"I see," Loki cursed under his breath and put the letter away. He'd have the leader flogged when he got the chance. His plan was unraveling and there was not much he could do to stop it. Magiking the men would cause questions to arise and he didn't need any more complications now that he had some plans to work on training his jinn, so the options were limited. "Well then I guess I should bid you good day."

Theoric gave a nod and bowed to him as Loki turned to go. He paused only when Theoric called out again.

"You know, if you had wanted the letter delivered here Prince Loki could have come in, women are not allowed but men are."

"I'll keep that in mind," Loki said with a sweet smile, though as he turned he called him a name that he didn't think a real lady would even think of uttering. However Theoric wasn't done and once more Loki turned to face the young cadet, this time his face wore that of annoyance. "You know Cadet Theoric, I am rather in a hurry, and could you not have said this before?"

"Not really," Theoric came closer and lowered his voice, "as I'm not supposed to be in confidence with the maids of her ladyship."

This made Loki's brows raise and a smirk tweaked his lips, "Oh? Well this is rather surprising to hear from you Master Theoric."

"Nay, Sister Liv, it's not as you think," he scowled some feeling very much in the presence of the trickster, though he didn't know why. Theoric cleared his throat calming his doubts and pointed in the direction of a small footpath. "That leads into town, there's a small shop just north of the footpath called the Battered Ram. Go there and you'll find Lady Sigyn's sister Nanna. She's to be traveling out by the morrow to see her family. She should take the letter that you have with her."

Loki stared at him cautiously then nodded, thanking him all the same, and headed down the path not looking back as he planned his next move.

The Battered Ram was an older building in the capital. On the outside the walls were wearing thin and the roof had seen better days. However inside it was bustling and warm, though on the small side, with patrons that were drinking and eating. The majority he noted were older warriors with family or grandchildren sitting on their knees drinking hot ciders and eating spiced cakes. It didn't take long for Loki to find Nanna by the corner window, sipping a drink with another woman he identified as a Valkyrie in training. Walking over the two women stopped in their conversation and Loki bowed his head to the two of them.

"Well met to both of you," he said with his youthful voice. The two glanced at one another then back to him. "I'm sorry for bothering you in your drink. Are either of you Lady Nanna?"

"Aye, that would be me," Nanna said cautiously and Loki nodded as he took a seat without invitation. The Valkyrie didn't seem to mind as she whispered something to Nanna and the woman nodded to her, got up and departed from the table. Alone Loki glanced at Sigyn's elder sister who was staring back at him. Like her sister she had their mother's features, though Nanna had sharper angles to her cheeks. She was dressed in the uniform of a swordswoman, but had put a tunic on over the harsher mail under to seem more casual.

"Can I help you with something?" Nanna asked after a moment of silence had passed between them and Loki cleared his throat.

"Actually you can," he pulled out the letter and held it to her. "I'm Sister Liv, I'm sure your sister has mentioned me. Could you please deliver a letter to her?"

Nanna raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, "Why should I? You're not a woman, who are you?"

"Pardon?" Loki blinked and frowned, could she have easily seen through his disguise? He cleared his throat and stared at her, and Nanna did so back in turn.

"I asked who you are."

"I told you, my lady, I'm Sister Liv." He insisted this time feeling hot in the face. Her blue eyes bore into his and he stared right back. Nanna shook her head again and scowled. She started to get up.

"If you're not going to tell me then I'm just going to leave."

Loki grabbed at her wrist and pulled her down. "Don't. Please."

"Then tell me who you are." Her brows were narrowed and he was sure that she was sizing him up in case of a fight. There was no way around this one, he realized sullenly. If only his ability to make himself look different were stronger, then this wouldn't be an issue, but as it was Loki was still learning, and even if he did change something about himself it would look off on his features. Nanna was still eyeing him doggedly and tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair. "I'm waiting."

Heaving a soft sigh, Loki reached back and unhooked part of the veil. Nanna blinked twice when she saw his face and he shushed her from gasping. "Yes, yes, never thought you would see a prince wearing such clothing, did you Lady Nanna?"

"I…I suspected you were male, but didn't, I'm sorry your highness." She muttered looking down and Loki nudged her not to do so. She raised it and stared at him peculiarity "But why are you dressed as such."

"To come see you," he explained and pointed to the letter on the table, "to ask that you deliver that to your sister Sigyn."

"Why?" again she looked confused and Loki sighed as he quickly explained that he was merely checking up on her after her accident, something that Nanna seemed to know quite a bit about, and Loki assumed that she talked to Theoric and Idunn. Crossing her legs the blonde raised her brow to him with some suspicion. "So you dress as a woman to come see me to deliver this to my sister, whom you're worried about because of her injured wrist, which has healed. Forgive me my lord, but I don't completely believe you are being honest with me."

He tipped his head back and laughed, she was as good as Balder made her out to be; blunt but honest when she wanted to know things, it made him glad that she was one of those protecting his mother. Loki glanced over at the people in the room; to be sure no ears were upon them as he lowered his voice to her. "You are quiet correct, however I can't be honest with you as it would intrude upon a lady's position, and I don't quite think you want your sister being in trouble with your mother."

Now it was her turn to lower her voice and lean into him, giving him a conspiratorial smile. "And why would my mother cause trouble for my sister?"

"There are reasons," he said simply and eyed her, then leaned back. "You care about Sigyn, do you not?"

"Of course, but why are you so interested in my sister?" Nanna wasn't about to let him get away without an answer she could see as honest, even if it was only a half truth. Again Loki's eyes darted to see if ears were listening and then they drifted out the window to the cold world that awaited him for his journey back to the palace. When he finally did meet her eyes there was a glint of something deep in the laughing green that identified him. It wasn't the usual trickster look that he had when being deceptive, but she knew there had to be more than what he was giving to her.

"Your sister has given me; I suppose you might call it, an interest. Something to enjoy engaging conversation with, she's different than most of the girls I meet, so I'm curious about her."

Nanna squinted some trying to judge his words then said cautiously, "So she's given you friendship?"

"I suppose, in a way, yes," Loki shrugged. She could call it what she liked though he didn't know if it was truly friendship, he didn't think that he had any friends, but there was something that made him want to stay in contact with her. Loki waited to see what she would say, and was a bit surprised to see her take the letter from him.

"Then what shall our deal be?" Nanna inquired as she pocketed the scroll. "I can give it to her if you make a deal with me Prince Loki."

"Aye, that can be arranged," he leaned forward grinning. His letter would be brought to her, and at least the game wasn't over yet. "What do you need?"

"Only that you will be a witness for me in character should the time arise that I need your help in the court."

That surprised him, and surprising Loki was hard to do. "That is a…odd request. Why would you need my witness? Your character is seen as impeccable Lady Nanna."

"There are reasons, I can't say that I will need it now or later, but will you?" she inquired again and he nodded giving his word that he would. Nanna smiled and it reminded Loki of the way Sigyn did, causing him to feel a bit hot in the face. He quickly put the veil back on and stood up.

"I think I should take my leave, I'm not sure if your assistance will be required again. But should it, will I find you here?"

"I'm here when there's not much to do at the place, so yes. Will you be dressed as the Sister then?" She was leaning back casually as she had been earlier that evening. He chuckled as he bowed to her.

"I suppose, I rather not have Balder wondering what I was doing in your company, though it might be fun to tease him some." Her eyes darkened at this and he once more bowed then hurried out through the crowd into the night without looking back or saying a farewell.

It was a day later when Loki once again was at the desk unlocking the hidden drawer and pulling out the green crystal. He was more determined than ever to get it working now that he knew Nanna had the letter and he could focus on the task at hand. With nibble fingers he twisted the crystal this way and that trying to get an understanding of it. Pocketing the green gem he strode over to the books and cracked them open. Flipping quickly Loki read at a speedy pace looking for keywords.

"We're going to need to know you inside and out before we get you to work, aren't we," he said to the creature in his pocket and then sat on one of the rather large chairs in his room, crossed his legs, and began to read. It was several hours later and he wasn't half way done when Arlan came calling. A scowl met the brightly smiling boy as he stepped into the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Prince Loki, but I was wondering if there was any letters you needed me to deliver?"

"No, it's been taken care of." Loki said softly and the young man shuddered then edged towards the door. "Where are you going, sit. We have much to discuss."

"We do, sir?" the young man asked and the trickster nodded his head as he perched on the edge of his bed. His eyes swayed Arlan to take a seat in one of the smaller chairs and Loki stared down at him from his perch, a hawk eyeing his prey.

"Yes we do. You recall that I gave you a letter to deliver before to Lady Sigyn?"

Arlan looked about hastily and rolled his shoulders some as if trying to get an itch off his back. "Aye, you're Highness."

"And did you?"

Again the boy looked rather uncomfortable and shrunk under Loki's gaze. "You didn't, did you?"

"Well you see…" Loki cut him off quick getting to his feet and leaning down hissing at the boy, gripping his wrists hard.

"No excuses. You gave that letter to a cadet Hawk named Theoric, and let him make the delivery did you not?"

"Yes," the boy said meekly as he shuddered, feeling the energy ball up around Loki and fearing that the prince would do something to him.

"And will you do it again?"

"I…" started Arlan again and again Loki cut him off with a death glare that made him curl up into a tight ball. A plaything in the dark Prince's hands, and Loki enjoyed it. He relished the fact that the boy was now terrified of him, glad to see that he knew better then to cross him.

"Answer me Arlan! Or you may see how powerful my magic truly is." There was a rather vain chuckle that wanted to escape. This wasn't to be the end of the boy's torment. Oh he had something much better in store, but for now it would keep him in check.

Arlan whimpered and squeaked out, "Yes Sir." Before Loki let him go and stood up. He smiled in a calm way as if what had just happened was merely a delusional dream from eating the wrong meats.

"Then all is forgiven."

Arlan blinked, wide eyed at the Prince as he sat up. "It…It is? Sir?"

"Yes," Loki smiled and patted him on the cheek. "Now do get up from my chair before you leave a stain, I would hate for the maids to find it thrown out due to your weak bladder."

Arlan jumped and Loki held out a list to him, which he much too eagerly grabbed. "I need you to find some of these elements for me, and be quick about it."

"Yes sir!" The young man bowed and practically ran for the door nearly tripping over his feet as he threw it open, only to have Loki call to him on the way out.

"Oh and Arlan," A nasty sort of smile creased his thin lips as he wagged his finger to him. "No more screw ups."

Arlan gave a visible shudder before he threw himself from the room shutting the door, allowing Loki the opportunity to burst out laughing. Tricking fools like him was too much fun, and soon enough he wouldn't need the ninny's help and would treat him to a rather interesting punishment for his betrayal.

Over the course of the next few days he learned about the size and state of the jinn, history on how they supposedly came about through the desires of the will of the people, and how they were feared. He also learned about how they controlled weather, their use for magic and how it kept them alive, and what they ate. All relatively interesting, but nothing really of great importance to him, nothing that could help him in the way he needed. There was nothing in the books that actually helped him, and he was about ready to just throw the crystal out over the edge of Bifrost.

It was however during a meal with Hogun those things fell into place. Sitting quietly with the others he listened to various tales about places that they had gone, some of the travels he had joined them, others he'd chosen to remain at home. During the course of the revelry Hogun mentioned the jinn in the palace, this brought Loki's attention up and he asked, "How did you get them in the first place."

"The jinn," Hogun asked and Loki nodded. The young man looked thoughtful and shook his head, "I don't really know."

"You don't know? How can you not? You lived in the palace," Loki pointed out and Hogun quickly countered.

"Yes, but I was a child, so I can't really tell you. They had them long before I was born."

"Must have been interesting seeing them," Sif said and Hogun nodded happily, as if remembering something from a distant past.

"It was," he explained, "My father told me that the king would control them with song."

"Song?" Loki laughed. "How cute, did he whistle at them?"

"Loki, don't be so ignorant," Sif snapped at him and he smirked to her.

"They seem like pets."

"Hardly," Hogun shook his head and quirked an eyebrow. "They were the defense, as you saw what happened when we lost one. No, he didn't whistle, but he did use a U shaped device to cause a melody."

Hogun demonstrated with his fingers, rapping them on the table making three notes in quick succession. Loki watched with a small bit of awe, this was just what he needed to know and he quickly asked, "Where would you get something like that? Was it a special item?"

"No, just a bent piece of metal, but it needed to be tuned." Hogun shrugged and Loki quickly inquired about the shape. With swift fingers Hogun drew an image of a curved looking two pronged fork with hollowed ends on the top of the table. Loki mentally took a picture while Hogun went on to talk about how they would scare him with stories of the jinn from far off lands. They were a dangerous and stubborn bunch that didn't like others controlling them. This wasn't what Loki wanted to hear, but he kept it in mind as he bid them all a good night and went into his room.

For three days he didn't dare come out, working on finding the right metal to use for the musical tuner. It wasn't too hard to gather bits of metal from the blacksmiths; he'd get them when he was meeting with Nanna to see if she had a letter in return for his last one he had sent. To his great relief there had been and read it with relish as soon as he returned to the palace, then decided to hold off answering until he had his plan in action and working. After all, he told himself, he didn't want to seem too excited about receiving a letter from her. So he set it aside and went back to his work with the metals he'd gathered.

He twisted pieces this way and that, using silver, gold, and copper and various other groups of shavings that he melted down, refined and then made into a tube that could resonate with a tone. Eventually he settled on a mix of silver, nickel and a hint of copper to make the device, and then sent Arlan out to get him the metal. The boy happily did it without any questions and Loki preferred things that way. On the plus side Arlan certainly made up for his mistake by bringing in more than enough raw material for Loki to refine, and using magic that didn't take as long as he believed it would. The trick was in not letting anyone knew he did it, so he would take the materials from his room down to the stables, where among other rather disreputable smells, the metal melting wouldn't be smelt.

It took him a week and a half to refine the metal, shape it and tune it just right. During the day he would occupy his time by either working on the musical device, or reading books. He ignored the letter as he knew it would make him want to write and, at the moment, his concentration was needed elsewhere. Eventually the piece was ready, the tone perfected (well as perfected as he could make it), and Loki was ready to train his Jinn.

On a bright crisp winter morning Loki stole from his room and out of the palace, the box tucked under his arm and the tuning instrument in the pocket of his cloak. The crunching of his boots made him wonder if anyone was following, so he crept cautiously over to the stables. There, he teleported out of site and to the quiet grounds of the archery fields. Here he set the box down, lifted the lid delicately and observed the green gleaming crystal. His eyes sparkled with excitement; soon the jinn would be his to command. Summoning up his courage he took out the instrument from his pocket, it felt cold in his hand as he slowly bent down to tap it once, twice, three times on the crystal then waited.

Each tap sent a glowing light through the green gem and it trembled in its case. Loki wondered how long it would take before the jinn awoke, but he didn't have long to wait. The creature rose up and out of its confines via a cloudy mist from the crystal, twisting and writing until it formed a shape of a man with a rather thin beard and sharp narrow eyes. The jinni was as green as the gem stone he had come from and his face was rather haughty, Loki thought looking at him. From the look of the garments he wore he'd once been nobility, as most jinn's came from men who were trapped by magician, he assumed that this jinni had been tricked by some con and was made into a servant. It didn't matter to Loki since he didn't care about the, who or why, what mattered to him was the how, such as how strong this creature truly was and how to tame it.

The creature stared at him for a moment then sniffed, "Boy where is the master that summoned me."

"Boy?" Loki snapped and stared up at the Jinn. He crossed his arms and sneered, "There is no boy here. There is only me, Prince Loki of Asgard, your master that you shall serve."


	22. Chapter 22: Making a deal with a Jinn

**AN: Sorry for the delay on this. Had a bit of a writer's block but I think I'm over that. So here's the latest chapter. **

_Copyright: Loki, Sigyn and all characterizations of them belong to Marvel _

* * *

As soon as the words left Loki's lips he wished that he had phrased his comment better. The Jinn looked him up and down once, and then began to roar with laughter. The prince of mischief glowered at the smoky being before him and snapped, "You find me amusing?"

"I find you foolish," the jinn spoke with a cool disposition as it wiped its eyes. "Surely, a child like you could not have possibly been the one that stole me from the palace of the king that I served. Such an idea would be ridiculous to even fathom."

Loki raised his chin so that he was staring up with lidded eyes, "And why would that be such a stretch of the imagination?"

"Because child," the Jinn was growing impatient, "you would not have gotten past the wards that were placed in there to protect us."

At this Loki paused and thought. The creature spoke truly; he wasn't strong enough to pass the magic barriers that had been erected around the crystals. He'd seen them back when they were in the palace and were getting a tour, and the energy that radiated from them was enough to warn him that attempting any trickery around the wards would only wind up causing a spell to backfire on him. He smiled though, since he had a way to impress the jinn.

"True," Loki smiled up at his, what he considered now his guest, since he would have to win it over rather than taming it as he first assumed. "But as a matter of fact, I did something more impressive. I stole you from the one that stole you away from the palace."

The Jinn didn't laugh this time, but raised an eyebrow. "And how did you do that little one?"

"By playing the part of a trickster," Loki explained and the jinn listened calmly as he went into detail about how he conned Amora out of taking the crystal with her. The creature scratched his chin and tugged his beard lightly as he considered Loki's story.

"An interesting tale, no doubt expanded upon," Loki's lips twitched, this being was good at spotting the fallacies in his story –he had to be more careful. "But, yes it does mark itself with some truth. I will believe you did retrieve me, but why did you not return me?"

"Because, such a role would be unseemly for a mighty magic one such as you," Loki pointed out and the Jinn laughed again.

"I have been serving the King's family for eons, why would I look down upon that role?"

"Because," Loki bowed to the jinn, "You have been played at. You and your brothers were kept there as a means of protection. But I have an offer for you."

"And that is?" The jinn raised his brow slightly curious, slightly doubtful.

A grin spread about the young man's face as he quickly outlined his proposal.

"I know your kind is powerful, ancient in magic, and I know that you can grant wishes. What if, we make a deal. I take only three wishes from you, and after the last wish is granted I set you free."

Again the jinn laughed, "And you want me to believe you Prince Loki of Asgard? I think not. Immortals lie, just as mortals do. They twist truths to satisfy their own needs. No I need no deal to be free, if I had wished to leave I would have the moment you set me free, but your bravado made me curious. Your power is still young, magic that you have would not have bound me."

"Such words you say seem to me to be covered in lies too," Loki told him and the Jinn sniffed.

"Tempt me to kill you now; we will see how quickly you draw your last breath."

"I am the son of Odin, ruler of the nine realms, and you are my servant," Loki shouted to it and the Jinn rose up over him, and peered down.

"You are a queer little boy, which is what you are. You amuse me."

"Amuse you!" Loki gritted his teeth and poked at the crystal in his hand. "I could smash this now and…"

"And free me, yes you could, but that would serve you no purpose and you know it," the Jinn countered and Loki sighed. It was true, yet he had hoped to capture this being and keep it as his.

"As you say, no purpose would be served, so again I ask you, will you deal with me on not?"

The Jinn floated a moment then nodded his head, "A deal can be made. But the terms will be laid out here and now and you will honor that deal, as your life will be forfeit if you do not."

"Aye, that is agreed," Loki said seriously and worked his machinations ahead of the game. He needed to trick the creature into letting him keep him around for a long period of time and he had an idea, but the question was would it work? The young prince smiled up at the Jinn in his most charming way and paced before him, keeping his eyes on the larger being and spoke confidently, knowing full well that if he went into his usual charismatic way of convincing him the Jinn was liable to kill him there and then.

"Terms, I shall give you mine, and you shall tell me then if it is agreeable to you, since I do have your crystal," he paused when the creature glowered at him; Loki quickly raised his hands, "No threats." –The jinn nodded as Loki continued –"It would behoove both of us to agree that you are the stronger one of us," the jinn puffed up a bit, he liked that then? Loki kept it in mind, ego stroking was something he was good at, "and clearly the more intelligent. So for my terms I offer you this. I will not keep you at my beck and call, you are free to stay in the crystal or wander around the city as you like, so long as you are not seen."

"And you know I will not run off on you?"

Loki nodded and held up the crystal to him again, "Because I still have this, and the key to calling upon you. So to be fair, in return for your humble services, I request only three things."

"And those are?" The Jinn raised a brow as Loki calmly laid out his plan before him.

"Firstly, I will only ask for the use of your magic three times. I know you can grant more wishes, but I will only ask for them thrice, after the third wish, the crystal shall be yours to take and keep."

"I see," the Jinn pulled at his beard thinking it over, "Go on."

"Second," Loki tapped his foot for a moment on how to put it, and then thought of the letters he would receive. He smirked some and crossed his arms, "Second, I request for your traveling freely to a point, you in turn deliver and receive letters for me from a friend of mine."

"And you cannot do this yourself?" the Jinn questioned and Loki shook his head.

"There are those that do not wish us to communicate, for delicate reasons, so we need a faster way to talk. You have that ability to do that, do you not?"

"Aye, but does this count as a wish," the Jinn inquired and Loki quickly denied it.

"No, it is not, I'm asking you to do so as part of our deal to let you travel freely."

"And if I take these letters to this person and retrieve it from them, delivering it to you, I can wander as I will."

"Yes, that is so."

Again the Jinn seemed thoughtful and bade him to continue. For the third item Loki held his breath, he was sure the jinn would refuse but this was his only chance.

"Lastly, I want you to teach me magic."

At this the Jinn began to laugh, "You want me to teach you jinn magic? Child you are a fool if you think you can learn such a thing."

"Wrong, not jinn magic, but magic you learn about, magic that you seek out and have learned from former masters. I wish to learn to have a keener arsenal of spells at my disposal, ones that can't be learned by others, allowing me clear superiority over others that are learning arcane arts." Loki told it and the Jinn floated down to stare into his eyes.

"You are a trickster, one that has had much given to you, yet you wish for more to win appreciation. I am correct in this. If this is so, then how should I know you shall not use this magic for your own gain?"

"You don't," Loki shrugged and held out his hand, "but for you to have the freedom that I offer you need to make this deal. You could reject it and then I would have to do what I needed to, by giving you up to Hogun's people. If that is what you want?"

The Jinn scowled and leaned back, "You play games trickster, but I see your offers hold truths to them, and you'll keep your word so long as I keep mine. Well played. I agree to your game. We shall start in the dawn on your lessons."

With that the creature vanished back into the crystal and the green gem was warm to the touch in Loki's hand. Smiling he headed back for the castle, stopping only when he heard the sound of the horse Sleipnir being brought out to graze, and decided to see what was going on. Walking over to the fenced in area he saw the young gray stallion, with all eight of its legs, pawing at the ground as it was walked around by one of the trainers that his father used to keep the horse in line.

However, Loki was in a mischievous mood and gave a shrill whistle that drew the beast's attention and Sleipnir happily bucked away his guide to trot over to the fence where Loki stood. The large animal nuzzled his face as the young man petted his face, and Sleipnir couldn't be happier. After all to the horse Loki was his mother. It had only been five, almost six, years before when Loki had gone off with his brother and their friends to roam around the Enchanted Forest of Alfheilm. He'd wandered off attempting to come up with a trick to use on Fandrel at the time after the older boy had managed to embarrass him before several hunters from Frey's court, when he'd heard the sound of a creature that seemed to be upset. Not being one to avoid curiosity Loki had gone through brush and down a slope to end up near a slightly cleared area near a meadow.

Trees here were spread farther apart, so it was easier to spot the foal braying for his mother, who was lying quietly on her side, dead. Loki carefully walked up to the foal and noticed that it, like it's late mother, had eight legs, eight wobbly legs that it was having trouble standing on, as it was trying to see if its mother would feed it. Hesitantly he reached out to the beast who, at first shied away, but then slowly came over as Loki spoke in a soft voice to it.

"Nothing to be afraid of, I'm like you. I'm lost too. Its okay, you'll be fine. I'll take care of you."

He hadn't at the time really believed that he would, he just wanted the animal away from its dead mother so that he could let the others know about it. Loki had thoughtfully brought one of the hunting horns with him, and used it to get the attention of the others who were off screwing around trying to be hunters. It didn't take long for Thor and Balder to find him; the blonde boy was surprised to see Loki trying to find a way to get milk from the dead mother. One of the huntsmen had come with them and immediately suggested they use the carcass.

"Can we get some help for this one?" Loki had asked and the larger burly man in furs had given a short nod.

"If there is a way, yes, but we need to get it back to the stables. There is a mother horse there that is nursing. She can feed him with her own foul."

With that agreed and Thor's help, Loki and balder carefully carried the young foal up the slope as the huntsman and some elves took care of the dead mother. It wasn't too long after that Loki had taken to staying with the foal, and the creature becoming so attached to him that the caretakers there felt that the beast had dubbed Loki its mother. This had not been something Loki had been planning on; he just wanted the strange horse to be okay. Yet, when it was time to leave, Frey had insisted they take the foal with them as it refused to leave Loki's side. So it had been named Sleipnir and upon their return to Asgard, the young foal had been presented to Odin, who felt it would make a splendid horse for himself, much to Loki's annoyance as he had hoped to keep Sleipnir for his own.

Petting him now Loki looked up into the deep brown eyes of the young stallion and smiled, "At least I know I'll have you always my friend, now you're best to resume your training and I'll come to see you later."

Sleipnir whinnied and hurried off leaving Loki alone. He made his way back to his room, as discreetly as he could and slipped out of the clothing he'd put on. Pulling out the letter he began to read it and tapped his foot as he laid on his bed, crossed legged, wondering how to reply. Twisting his lip he closed his eyes, only a few weeks until the Yule, not very long at all to be honest, and yet, he wished that it would come faster as it would mean he would get to at least talk to her face to face, rather than writing. Still this game was fun, and in person he knew they couldn't play it this way.

_Dear Sister Liv, _

_ It is good to hear from you and I am pleased that my letter found you well. As of right now, my Mother has made it very clear that I will have to do various tasks to keep to as part of my new daily regiment to ensure that my curiosity doesn't lead me to try to get into her locked personal space. However she recently rescinded the plans that she had for me to not work on my archery since my Uncle has come for visits. As for your wager, I will respectfully decline at this time, perhaps when spring comes it can be open for option again, yes? As for the "Frosted" it seems he has become sick and melted, though not before they gave him a brother to stand beside him, and yes they were rewarded by Nanna for the naming with some very nice treats from the capital. _

_I have not heard what maneuvers they are up to myself as he keeps those quiet, though he has been coming more frequently to talk with mother and my older sister. I cannot tell you what type of Hawk sadly as I do not know them well. I would say one that is rather large and imposing would be interesting. _

_I was surprised that Nanna was the one to bring your reply to me, and slightly worried that she had read it. However I'm glad that that was not the case as our game would have to end would it not? Thank you for that information, I haven't had much interaction with a Jotun before so I was curious. As for the decorations, they sound lovely and I can't wait to see them, and I do hope that when we meet you will be willing to tell me more about your trip? I'm also curious about this project you are offering up? What are you working on, dear sister?_

_Hoping this finds you happy, _

_Lady Sigyn_

"Shorter still, seems we need a bit of a contest going?" He wondered as he went to his desk to transcribe a letter. Loki took his time writing, carefully picking words that would have her wondering what was going on. Smiling, and pleased with his letter, he quickly rolled it and tied it, than, picking up his fork device, tapped the crystal waking the Jinn within. The creature came out small on his table and Loki stared at it a moment.

"Now who is the giant?" He laughed and the Jinn snorted.

"I stay this size as a means of keeping your room from being wrecked with my mass, but if you wish me to grow in size and be noticed by those that dwell here…" the voice of the Jinn squeaked out from his tiny body, but Loki took the threat seriously and didn't delay further. He set the paper beside the Jinn who examined it for a moment. "What is this?"

"A letter, to a young woman named Sigyn, daughter of the Goddess Freya." The Jinn nodded as Loki added, "You would be so kind as delivering it to her, and only her, post haste, and then you are free to roam until she has written me back."

"And I am to go check on her within a week of delivery?" he asked zapping the scroll with magic making it shrink to a size that he could pick up and place in the band around his pants.

"Aye, that's the plan."

The Jinn bowed. "Very well then Prince Loki, I will be off and return to you when I have the letter in hand."

With that the small Jinn flew out the window and Loki watched him go smirking at the thought of how well his plan had actually worked.


	23. Chapter 23: Sigyn meet Jinn

**AN: Sorry this is taking longer than I expected. Thank you for those that are still reading and reviewing I appreciate it.**

_Copyright: Sigyn and Loki along with the other gods belong to Marvel comics_

For Sigyn the arrival of the Jinn was a shock. To start with she was in bed in the middle of the night when it arrived and it had flown in through her slightly open window. Her mother had insisted it remain open since the fire had made the bedroom too warm for her taste, though Sigyn tended to like it on the warmer side. Then there was the fact that it grew to be five times her size and seemed to glare down at her as if judging. Lastly it was the way it spoke; there was something slightly arrogant in the way that things worked with creatures of this nature, the glowing eyes didn't help matters at all.

Sigyn had sat up, pulling the covers close to her when she had noticed the shadow blocking out the light coming in from the window. Trying to remain calm she had asked, "Who are you?"

The Jinn snorted some as he looked at the girl, "I was expecting more of you given what I read. A child really, no more than he is."

"Pardon?" she took offense at this and got out of bed, the cool floor sending a tingle up her spine. "Who are you to call me a child? Just who are you, and what are you doing in my room?"

Again the Jinn snorted, "Petty creature."

"Petty?" She cocked an eyebrow and looked to the door. Perhaps it was sent here to harm her mother, if that was the case, she couldn't let it leave the room. Angering it wasn't an option, so instead she tried a different tactic on the Jinn; carefully she gathered up her nightdress and curtsied to it.

"Forgive my rudeness than, what are you then, and why are you in my room?"

The Jinn smiled at this, it liked being bowed to and made to feel high, this, Sigyn considered, could come in handy.

"I am known only as Jinn, a creature of power and energy from a far off land. I was sent here by a child that wishes to be my master, though he doesn't quiet known what he has in his hands."

"I see," she said softly keeping her eyes low to make it seem like he had the upper hand. "And what is such a being doing in my room. Speak honestly, good Jinn, because lies will do you no good. I fear that you have come for a reason in regard to my mother the goddess?"

"The goddess," he looked confused as she explained she was the daughter of Freya, goddess of love and devotion, and that she wanted to know if he had come to harm her mother. He laughed loudly at this and Sigyn tried to shush him. Once he went silent, he leaned down to her to look into her eyes. "Nay little one, you're eyes show you believe what you say. I do not come to trouble your mother, nor bring her harm. I am here for you."

"To kidnap me?" she asked carefully and he shook his head.

"As I said, I was sent by a child who wishes to be my master. He has made a deal with me, though I feel that he thinks he will trick me into doing more work than what I have agreed to." The Jinn rose and held out a scroll to her, which Sigyn took and noticed the seal that Loki used. She glanced between it and the Jinn.

"Prince Loki sent you then? But…" she paused and then looked at the document in her hand. Loki wouldn't just suddenly have a jinn, his father would have never allowed it. Such creatures were hard to control, and she looked at the Jinn as she turned her back to him to read the scroll. Carefully opening it, she found a small folded paper inside in the shape of a star that indicated for her to open it first. She was sure there was more to this than appeared, but a part of her knew Loki would keep his secret from her for now.

Pulling apart the star shaped folding she read it silently.

_Lady Sigyn, _

_ If you are reading this, know that the creature in the room with you is to be trusted only in the slightest. It is still not yet under my command so follow what I say. In order to get him to work with me I have had to make a deal with him. The Jinn is under the suspicion that he will have free time to fly around as he will, but that is merely an illusion to him. I will require your help with this if my plan is to succeed. _

_I have told him that he will to come back and visit you in a week of time to retrieve your letter to deliver to me. This is how we shall communicate through his acting as messenger between us. Placate him, be kind to him, make him want to return to you and enjoy your company. I shall try my best to give him the sense that he is the master at hand, but soon he will be following what I say. _

_However what he believes to be the truth is not complete. What I need you to do is write a short reply to my letter, a portion of it, then send him home to me at once. He will object of course, but I am sure someone like you can convince a creature of his nature to willingly return to me. We will keep this up as often as possible, volleying him between us. In time I hope I shall wear him down enough that he will be willing to listen to my commands. If I am correct, by the time he is through being our messenger by the Yule ball, he will be putty in my hand. _

_Take care he doesn't see this letter. I included in my letter a note to him about where you live and a description of your person. If he is as cunning as I think he is, which is to say cunning enough to handle most but not myself, then he should have easily found you. I should also hope that, since we now have him as our messenger we may now dispense of good Sister Liv, until the time comes when she is of our need again, and at least sign by who we, or in this case, I truly am. Though this game has been fun, it is growing rather tedious to me. We shall have to think of a new one soon. _

_ Yours _

_ Prince Loki of Asgard_

Sigyn stared at the letter a moment then turned and smiled at the Jinn. She curtsied again, "I thank you for delivering my letter, good lord jinn. Would you care for some tea? You must stay at least for a while, I've never been in the presence of a creature such as yourself," and in truth she had not.

The Jinn gave her a puzzled look but nodded as he hovered over a chair that sat in the corner of her room near the fireplace, and, concentrating, created a lower half with which to sit down upon the chair. Seated he waited and sniffed, "Well?"

"Well," she repeated and then realized he was waiting for _her_ to serve _him._ "Oh yes, at once."

With quick clipped steps she padded her way over to where he sat and pulled a tea set from a small cabinet occupying the left hand corner of the fire place. From here Sigyn took out a larger pot to boil water, and small pestle and mortar with which to crush the leaves with. She glanced at him and smiled cheerfully, "What sort of tea do you like?"

The Jinn waved his hand, "Any will suffice."

Sigyn nodded and pulled out a soft flowery blend that she quickly mashed into a smoother grouping. Then getting some water from the cold basin across the room near her desk she proceeded to heat the water in the larger pot and set up her tea set for two, placing the leaves in a small container so that they could sit in the water without leaving behind residue. Sitting across from him Sigyn pulled out the second letter, the one that answered her earlier questions and read quietly, allowing the Jinn to seemingly fall into a slight slumber as he warmed by the fireplace, which she had stoked to gather more heat.

_Dear Lady Sigyn, _

_ I am pleased to hear from you so soon. I would be remiss without your words of kindness to keep me abreast of all the happenings at your humble home. It seems we both have been tasked by our families to jump through hoops like animals before a crowded street by their performer owners. Mother has requested that I begin working with the courtiers more as a means of making me hospitable to guests that come from distant places. I've also been tasked by her to learn at least six new languages so that I may be the translator for them. I think she figures that if I seem more useful Father shall give me more to do, and perhaps allow me a role in the advisors when I am of age. Honestly the whole thing seems rather amusing since I can just use a spell on the person in question and have it where I hear them in any language I so choose. It's quite useful really, and makes eavesdropping that much more entertaining, particularly when there is talk of things that I can use against my brother and his friends. Fandrel seems to be the easiest to find out blackmail on, though I'm cautious about how much I indicate I know about. _

_Sad tiding on your sisters "Frozen" fellow, I should have liked to have seen him. Perhaps they could build another at the Yule ball, something to occupy the time for me at least. The event itself shall be, dull to be honest. It seems every year the only fun to be had is when the adults are not looking and we may slip out to enjoy the snow and the festivities outside of the palace. It seems that in my quest to find an answer about your size Hawke I did stumble upon the question of maneuvers. It seems that there have been some skirmishes near the borders with Alfheim and Nastrond, so they have been sent as a means of helping keep the peace there with the army. It seems to be a minor issue to say the least. As for your bird of choice, I would say it could take unto five days for something that large, and probably egotistical to do full maneuvers. Something far lighter would work better. Care to make a wager on who would win in a fight? _

_Your sister is quite… interesting. She is not at all how she presents herself at the palace, though you probably know more about her then I shall ever. Do tell me more about her, it might shed some light on some goings on here that have caught my attention. I ask you to guess and figure out what that might be. As for the Jotuns, I do think such topics can be laid to rest. They bore me and are not as much fun to discuss with you as other topics that could be far more entertaining. For example, I'd like to know more about your mother's side of the family. You speak happily for your father, but your mother you never utter much. Why is that? _

_Decorations are as they are. Pretty to look at but over time they will come down and some do tarnish. I do like the smell though of the plants that are brought in and the garlands. They bring a festive feel to the air and the colors do liven up the place. Do you have any decorations that they put up for the Yule at your home? I'm curious as to how those below my station live. _

_ Yours with Glad Tidings_

_ Prince Loki of Asgard_

Sigyn read the letter twice, and debated which part of it to reply to. It was then that she heard the cry of the pot burbling about and got up to procure some hot water into her pot for tea. Placing the lid on, she waited as the Jinn stretched and looked over at her.

"Once my tea is done I shall be off."

"Must you go?" she asked sweetly and he stared at her a moment. "Surely one such as yourself could spare some time and tell me a tale or two of your land?"

The Jinn scowled at her, "And why would a child of the Aesir wish to know of my people?"

"I am not of Aesir blood sir, I am Vanir."

"There is a difference," he intoned raising a brow and Sigyn nodded. "Ha, then child of the Vanir tell me what is this difference? I see nothing of the kind. You and your kind have been encroaching upon the lands of others for eons, expecting them to make peace with you when they simply wish to be left on their own."

"So I have heard tell," Sigyn said simply and poured him the tea carefully and set one aside for her, waiting for it to cool. "Honey? Sweets? For your drink?"

The Jinn waved his hand and Sigyn watched as he waited for her to explain things. Staring at the cup she wondered what could be said, Loki wanted him to be delayed but telling him a story wouldn't help that, would it? Maybe if she set him to think for a bit on the matter, such an action could do the trick. She smiled up at him pleased at her plan and dribbled a bit of honey into her tea, then sipped carefully.

"The Vanir are the children of god Njord, the sea king, and his children are my mother and uncle. We are known for our wisdom and ability to see the future, unlike the Aesir who are known for their ability to call on war and power to rule things. My grandfather can call upon the winds and bring them to us at any time he wished, but the war that was set about between our people and the Aesir, which they started, caused him to lose his power and his right to his kingdom.

"So my mother, the goddess Freya, and my Uncle, became hostages of sorts to the court of Odin, along with a cousin of theirs, Odin's wife Frigga. Peace came after a long fight, starting with an attack on a seer who told that my Grandfather would survive after the world came to an end. Such matters are for our eyes to see and only to tell if there is reason to tell. We learn all and see all. That is the way of the Vanir, to find wisdom in the world and bring that wisdom to others. Culture and grace over power and war."

"Yet your kind looks the same," the Jinn pointed out. Sigyn ran her hand over her hair.

"Some have golden hair; others have hair as black as night and some are blessed with hair as bright as fire."

"Blessed or shamed with?" pointed out the Jinn. "There are those in Jötanheim that bear the hair that you speak of."

"How can they be shamed if they have such bright hair?" she asked and he snorted.

"They say that it comes from having blood from the shorter fire giants that once came from the halls of Surtur in Muspelheim. Those born of frost saw them as a danger since their power to melt things caused destruction upon Jötanheim, so they were expelled from the world of ice, yet some laid there seed there, and it is in the blood of a few that the red hair shows. Those that have that color hair are either hailed as royal, or shamed as an aberration."

Sigyn frowned, "So you believe those with the hair from that world are evil?"

"No, Surtur took control from the fire giants long ago, they are not the ones that are the danger." He looked at her then at the window. "It is late I should leave."

"A moment of your time then," she quickly insisted and got up. "I wish to write something before you leave."

Again the Jinn snorted, "Women are fickly, but do as you will."

Sigyn raised an eyebrow, but ignored him and quickly set about her task, picking out a paragraph to reply to. Focusing on the second she dipped her pen in ink and scribbled by the soft light of the fire as the Jinn seemed to wait impatiently for her.

_Dear Prince Loki, _

_ They would happily build another along with you, it would be fun I'm sure. They are excited about it, though it sounds that you are not, may I ask why? I've only heard of stories of the Yule ball and of the very events that seem to come off as magical. I'm slightly nervous of attending, after all Lofn and I will be representing our mother at the event since she will be busy attending to my sister and trying to play matchmaker with her, it's going to be my first time in the room with the adults rather than the children. When would be allowed to go outside? It sounds like you are planning something. Skirmishes at the borders, this doesn't sound good. Would there be any way to see which groups have been sent out? As for a wager, I would say yes, it would be fun and I will say that something lighter can be just as arrogant due to its unnatural grace and charm. _

_Yours _

_ Lady Sigyn_

With a flick of the wrist she rolled up the scroll and placed a wax upon it, then headed over to the Jinn and handed it to him, "Could you please take this back to the Prince?"

He scooped it up and carefully tucked it away in his vest. With a whisper of smoke the Jinn was gone, and Sigyn sat down thoughtfully upon her chair, sipping the remains of the tea.


	24. Chapter 23 Loki's Part in all this

**AN: Really short chapter here since I forgot to add this part to the previous one. **

_Copyright: Sigyn Loki and all other Marvel Thor characters are owned by Marvel. _

* * *

It wasn't too long after that the Jinn returned to the confined walls of the palace. He floated before Loki's window, considering the idea of just taking his leave, when a slight breeze of warmth forced him to take notice of the prince that was standing at the now open window. He bowed and offered out the small scroll to him.

Loki snapped it from him and opened it with not even a word to the creature before him. The Jinn shrugged, expecting no less from the arrogant prince and turned to take his leave.

"And where are you going?" he asked coolly. The Jinn turned round and stared at the young man who was now sitting in his chair frantically reading the reply.

"I was going to travel," he said simply. "I delivered your letter and now I'm free to take my leave."

"I never said that," Loki contested even as he read. The Jinn huffed and floated into the room to hover before the boy. He crossed his arms and Loki glanced up at him, "I never said that you were free to take your leave. You're jobs not done yet."

"I delivered your letter, and she replied to you."

Loki smirked slightly and lounged back in his seat.

"Yes but, I still have a reply to give to her."

"You can do that at your leisure." The Jinn turned to leave and Loki laughed.

I think not," he got up and walked over to his desk, pulled out a pen and began to write in return. The Jinn scowled.

"And what do you think you're doing now?"

"Replying to her post haste," he informed the creature, chuckling all the while in his mind. This was great fun having the jinn at his beck and call, and the fact that Sigyn was willing to play too made it all the more interesting. Girls, at least the ones in the palace outside of Sif, were less then pleased to enjoy his sort of humor. That was why he wanted to keep up this confidence with this girl, at least then he could say he had one friend that was his and his alone.

He would make the Jinn wait, though the creature was going to grow impatient, still he wanted it to understand who was in charge. Dipping his pen into the ink he quickly wrote.

_Dear Lady Sigyn, _

_ I've yet to understand the rules of building men from snow, they will have to teach me, though I am certain mine will be far superior to theirs no doubt. After all I am considered a prodigy when it comes to certain skills, this, no doubt, will be among them. Why I am not excited for such an event, simple, because it's dull. There is no fun to be had sitting around and talking with nobles that don't know a thing about humor or enjoy a good laugh or two. They act pleased and preen around my Mother and Father, as if they were trying to vie for them as their mate. It disgusts me, since I know and they know that I know that they are just there to show off to other nobles. So to me it's boring, though I'm sure you'll enjoy some sport among the people there if you like that sort of thing. Their wit is unimpressive and you're sure to find yourself going away from all of it in no time. _

_ You'll be representing your mother? Curious, may I inquire as to why she is so determined to find a match for your elder sister? Or is she afraid that she'll come off as too flighty for her own good? Well it matters not, it's not like she will try to marry her off to me, I fear that I would never make a suitable bride groom for any person, no one would match the perfection that is me. We normally go outside just after the feast, this way we can work off any lethargy that may come with eating too much. Planning? Me? Surely you jest Lady Sigyn, I simply wish to enjoy the snowball fight that my brother seems to initiate every year. Of course, I do hope you shall be willing to participate on my team; I assure you I will win. _

_ Yes skirmishes, though they are not as impressive as you might think. I could check for you but there would be a price for that, though I don't know if you would be so willing to pay. Then we shall have to figure out what to wager, and test your assumption when the larger hawk returns, though I assure you, the one that has the unnatural grace and charm, as you put it, will most assuredly win in any contest. _

_ Sincerely _

_ Prince Loki _

Loki smirked as he read the reply and quickly rolled and sealed it. He turned to the Jinn who was absentmindedly looking outside. Holding out the scroll he lowered his lids and held up his nose as he spoke, "Here, my reply. Take this back to Lady Sigyn. I expect you to return to me at once with a reply from her. Wait there until she finishes."

"And if I do not," growled the Jinn, sending a rumble through the room. If Loki was fazed by this he wasn't about to respond, and instead pointed to the gem. Energy crackled through his finger and a small burst of lighting hit the stone causing a slight crack in it to emerge. The Jinn doubled over in pain and he looked at Loki with shocked eyes.

"If you do not do as I say, then I will break this stone and kill you," Loki told him and folded his arms across his lap and stared down at the Jinn. "Now go."

The Jinn rose slowly from where he had knelt and looked away anger clearly tense in his smoky body. He flew out the window, the scroll in hand and Loki ran his finger over the crack pondering what to do once he was bored with the creature that now was his main means of communication with Sigyn.


	25. Chapter 24: Stories by Firelight

**AN: I'm surprised my story plans are changing so rapidly. Thanks to those who reply, going to keep chugging along with this. **

_Copyright: All Thor and Mighty Thor characters are owned by Marvel and Disney. _

* * *

It was to Sigyn's surprise that the Jinn returned that very night. She paused and noting his dower look tried to speak to him, which he ignored, and took the scroll from him which he gave her with little more than a glare. Sigyn carefully unrolled the parchment and sat before the dwindling fire to read. As she read she glanced over at the Jinn who was now perched, in a smaller form, on her window. There was something rather off about the imposing creature and she decided to try again.

"You never did tell me about yourself."

He looked at her, "We are a proud people, what does a child of the Ae…Vanir," she smiled at his remembering the difference, "Want to know of us?"

"Well," she said looking over the letter, "How did the prince come to have you in his service."

"That eel?" he asked and she raised her brow, "that brat, the bane of any mother's womb?"

"I wouldn't go that far," she scowled slightly not liking his tone but had to agree that Loki was a tricky sort. "But yes, how did he come to have you in his services."

"I do not wish to speak of it," he waved it away and Sigyn let out a soft sigh, shaking her head and returning to the letter. His reaction had piqued her curiosity. Loki was a tricky sort, and though she was going with his game at the moment, the only reason was because of the creature that was now visiting her. Gaining his kindness might mean a chance to have assistance in finding her father, or at least learn something of him.

She picked through the letter and glanced up at the Jinn.

"Will you be returning to the prince?"

"As soon as you write your reply," he said gloomily and Sigyn rolled up the parchment and tucked it in her desk. The Jinn raised a brow. "Are you not going to write to him?"

"No, not tonight," she said thoughtfully and then waved her hand. "He can wait a bit; instead I wish to finish having tea with you. It's still not quite morning, and when the sun comes I will write him a letter, but for now," she sat down on her chair inviting him to sit opposite him. "I wish to hear more of you and your kind; I've never had the pleasure of meeting a jinn before."

The Jinn gave a short nod and slithered down like a cat, before increasing his size to sit in the chair and look at her curiously. "Are you trying to trick me child?"

"No," she said as humbly as she could. "You have lived far longer then I, and clearly are the wiser of us. I simply wish to learn from you, if that is possible."

This seemed to please him and the Jinn relaxed some and sat back in his chair, his arms crossed against his broad chest. "You are different than the one that holds me right now."

"How so?"

"You are humble, where he is arrogant," the Jinn said darkly and glanced at the fire. "I can see if his life continues this way, he will suffer for his actions."

"He's a prince," Sigyn said simply but nodded, "But his arrogance doesn't come from that. He likes to think himself smart."

"But you feel you are smarter?" he smiled at her and Sigyn shook her head.

"Not smarter, but I view things differently. I observe people and look for opportunities in a different way, but I'm still learning and I still have a long way to go before I can honestly even think of matching wits with one such as Prince Loki," she tilted her head. "Could you teach me?"

The Jinn looked surprised at this. "Teach you?"

"To be wise, to know how to figure things out, to match wits with him so that I can't be tricked," she explained rubbing her wrist and he caught this.

"So you too have fallen for his words?"

"No, a prank gone wrong," she said and sighed. "He likes to play games, and I am a good toy to him."

"Why?" He scowled and Sigyn rubbed her wrist.

"Why? I'm not sure myself. I don't trust him, but there are moments of kindness in him, limited though they are, they are still there."

The Jinn snorted. "A cobra can be kind too, but that doesn't mean it won't strike if it wishes to child."

"Sigyn," she corrected him and he nodded.

"Sigyn then," he sat back and looked at her. His gaze took in her face and eyes. The determination was there, he could tell that much. "You believe you can stand up to him?"

"I believe I can," she said and crossed her legs meeting his gaze. The Jinn smiled and chuckled.

"Very well then, when I come I will teach you things. Perhaps one day you can learn my real name."

"You have a name?" she inquired and leaned forward. He nodded slowly. "Oh can you tell me please."

"Only after time, and a name is a powerful thing to us. I cannot simply give it, only to the one that holds my home," he paused and shook his head. "For now though, you asked of my people, yes?"

Sigyn settled back in her chair as he caused the smoke from the fire to change color and images danced before her from the smoke as he twisted his fingers around it.

"When the world was made, not by Odin as he likes to claim, but by those that came before, there were three kinds of being made. The humans made from the clay that lay on the land, the angels, those made from the clouds and my kind, the jinni made from spirit. The first of our kind came from the air, sea, flame, ground, and life; they spread their powers over the land infusing it with many forms of energies. Energies, which eons later, those that inhabit this land tapped into making themselves gods.

"The jinni's feared that they would be held in captivity by those that were taking over, so rather than be placed under their powers, they infused stones and other objects with their magic and hid themselves away. When a human or angel found an item and looked into it they would be transformed by the jinn's power and the jinn would then be given a mortal form until the human could find it and gather its body back.

"However the jinn were tricky, and made sure that the trapped person could hardly ever find them. So they in turn were then imprisoned in the object and forced to do the bidding of others until one freed them."

Sigyn sat in rapped attention as he sent a smoke ring around her, showing his fate as a noble from long ago that was trapped by a jinn along with his brothers, all of whom had served the king of Hogun's land. She swallowed and glanced at him, "But I heard that the item stolen was destroyed or taken by another person."

"Taken indeed, by the one that now holds me," the Jinn told her and waved his hand to pull the ring back twisting and expanding it till it became a new scene of mountains. Here he continued telling her about the worlds that he had seen, of a cave where the jinni lived and met to discuss their role in the world. He showed her various forms of them, from the smoke kind like himself, to those that have flesh and bone. This show went on for a long while until the fire died and the Jinn fell into a slumber. Only then did Sigyn dare to slip from her chair and creep over to her bed.

Under the covers she mulled over what she had learned. Days before she'd found out from her sister about the real trip that Loki had taken with his brother and their friends. She now wondered if the whole 'I'll tell you in person' wasn't a ploy to get her to become his conspirator somehow. Peeking out from under the bedding she looked at the Jinn who was now curled up under a blanket she had on the chair, he'd shrunk to his smaller cat sized form once more, sleeping soundly.

_I have to learn more, what happened there and why did he take a jinn? What does he intend to gain with such a thing?_ Sigyn thought as she tossed and turned, finally falling to sleep when the dawn started to warm the skies with it's warm rose color.

In the morning she ignored what he had written and instead focused on something different. She would play Loki's game, but only if it could keep the Jinn near her until she knew what she needed in order to make a fair decision.

_Dear Prince Loki, _

_ I heard that there is to be dancing at the Yule ball? Is this true?_

_ Lady Sigyn._

When the Jinn rose she made him some food, which he gratefully took and swallowed in four quick bites. Once he was awake and fed she handed him the letter, which he took and left, flying quickly out the window. Sigyn waited a few beets, dressed, and then dashed from her room down to the library where she pulled out what she could on jinn's, which wasn't much. Her mother had not been one for gathering information on beings of magic, and much preferred books and scrolls on travel. Having collected what she could, Sigyn went out to a warmer sitting room and sat before a large window, hoping to get in enough reading by the sunlight, and began to skim through each book looking up anything she could on the creature that was visiting her.

She began to guess that he would be returning as soon as Loki finished his writing, she was also certain that he would be unhappy that she had not answered his last letter. She also worried that he would take it out on the Jinn, and her worry was right. Upon the Jinn's return he looked quite sickly. His color was off and it appeared as if something had hit him repeatedly. Sigyn frowned seeing him and quickly made him more tea.

"Drink," she insisted and nearly poured it down his throat when he resisted her offer. Annoyed he took it and did so, only after muttering more than needed, and it seemed to help him feel better.

"What is in this drink?" he asked her as she took the letter from him.

"Herbs from our inner garden," Sigyn explained simply as she read over the terse reply. "It will help heal you from the cold and any aches."

He nodded sipping as she sat and read.

_Dear Lady Sigyn, _

_ Your letter was oddly late; do not let it happen again. It was terribly rude of you and I thought my jinn had gone off on travels, which is against the rules of our agreement. My dear Sigyn you also didn't answer my questions in regard to acting for your mother and her reasons for marrying your sister off so quickly. I should like to know about that if you please. _

_ Why are you curious about the dancing? Do you like to dance? If so then I'm sorry to disappoint in that it's only for those who are of the court. The rest of us must find our own fun. I hope this letter finds you well. _

_ Prince Loki_

She frowned some at the quick terms he used and shoved the paper away again, turning her attention to the jinn and brought him the books she had been reading. He glanced down at them as Sigyn placed them in his lap.

"And these are?"

"Books that I have read that mention your kind."

"Ah," he nodded, "And what did you learn."

"Not too much, I hope you can fill in the blanks." Sigyn sat down across from him and pulled up her knees. He leafed through the books and laughed at some points, which made her raise her head, "What's so funny?"

"These!" he held up a book before her. "These are quite amusing. The writer clearly didn't know what he was writing about."

"Well can you tell me what he should have put, it is about your magic isn't it?"

The Jinn cocked his head and looked at her, "What about my magic?"

"The book, it goes into how your magic works."

"That is not something I can discuss little Sigyn." He set the book down beside him and picked up another. She still stared at him as he glanced back up, "You wonder why?"

"Well yes. Magic can't be spoken of? We speak of it here all the time."

"Yes, you do. Your kind can. Mine on the other hand can't, it's not allowed in our traditions." He pointedly snapped the book he was reading shut.

"But you can teach others in how to use it?"

"In a way," he smirked some. "The little princeling thinks he can worm such lessons from me."

"How?" she asked sincerely curious about what sort of agreement these two had.

The Jinn stared at her a moment, "He thinks I shall teach him, in response to my freedom."

"Do you think he'll honor his word?"

The Jinn shook his head, "No I do not."

"How did he make the deal with you then?" she asked and the Jinn sighed.

"Flattery, he offered up three wishes and knowledge in return for my freedom when the time was up."

Sigyn sat back and looked up at the ceiling, the light outside was starting to fade. The shadow from her window's sill formed a long line of inky blackness over her head and started to spread like the branches of a tree around the room. Her eyes traced them as she pondered in the silence, the Jinn chortling now and again at the books he read. Loki had him trapped; she knew he wouldn't just let him go though he didn't always take back his word. Still it bothered her that such a powerful creature was under his sway. An idea slowly formed in her head and she looked at him.

"What if I free you, will you help me with something?"

He looked up, surprised at her question. "Help you?"

"Yes help me," she nodded and stood up. "There's something I want to find, but I don't know enough about it. Could you help me?"

The Jinn scratched his chin, "And what do I get of this if I help you? You say you offer me freedom, but how do I know I have your word."

Sigyn thought a moment and looked around her room. If her word wasn't good enough then she would have to offer something that was. Her eyes fell upon a gilded comb lying on the desk and she resigned herself. Walking over Sigyn picked up the comb and brought it over to the Jinn who stared at it for a moment as she held it out to him.

"This," she said her voice trembling slightly but she reined it in and cleared her throat to start over; "This is the only gift I still have from my father. It's something that is precious to me, it's what I need help in finding. I'm giving this to you as a token, you may keep this comb and in return I shall free you if you help me."

The Jinn gently took the golden hair piece and flipped it over in his hands. His eyes took in the delicate nature of the item and the craftsmanship of it as well. He shifted some, a bit nervously, and looked at the girl trying to determine if she was serious. She was, and he knew it. Pocketing the piece he sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'll hear your proposal."

"My father," she said gently as she sat down across from him again, "was a dwarf. Mother doesn't like to talk much about it, but in our blood runs that of a master craftsman. I haven't known any of his kind, we're not really allowed to talk about them, but," –at this she paused and thought of how to phrase it –"but I wish to know who he was and where he came from. I want to know why he left us. Mother keeps things locked up, I can't get in there, but I'm sure that that you can. If I free you, can you pull out the items for me that I need? Please?"

The Jinn raised an eyebrow, then snorted and sat back, "It seems a simple enough task, but why do you need my help in this endeavor? Surely someone has this information here in this home of yours?"

"Nay, even if they did, I can't persuade them to give it to me." Sigyn explained and the Jinn nodded. "Will you help me then?"

"Aye, I suppose, and you in turn will free me?"

Sigyn nodded and the Jinn smiled, "You realize this will not be an easy task, and I cannot help you with it."

"I know," she said softly, "But if I can do it, will you help me?"

The Jinn seemed to take a long time to decide, pulling out the comb and studying it, before nodding his head. "I believe I shall then, child of the Vanir. You've shown me that you have honor in your actions. But, if you fail, I keep this and I will turn you or him into a jinn should you fail."

"Aye, I understand," she said taking in the task ahead of her, Sigyn offered her hand and to his, and he shook it, the smoke curing around her giving her the chills as he did so. Plans decided Sigyn went to her desk and quickly wrote out her reply to Loki. Her mind wasn't exactly on the letter itself, even though she had the Jinn's agreement she needed to figure out how to get him free, what was his confine and where it was. Once in hand she hoped that she could find a way to use it to get the Jinn to help her locate her father, but a part of her felt some guilt on that idea. Still if he kept his word then there would be no troubles.

Her pen flew across the parchment as she replied:

_Dear Prince Loki, _

_ One doesn't have to follow a time when writing a reply, does one? Surely your letters need some thought placed in them before setting thought to word on page? Perhaps not, but mine does. I'll keep my own time as I'm sure you will keep yours. __**The Jinn**__did not go off on his own, rather I asked him to stay and keep me company as I thought. He's a unique creature and I wished to learn more about him. Surely you thought the same upon discovering him, did you not?_

_ It is interesting that you never did tell me where he came from; perhaps you can enlighten me on this Prince Loki? As for my family, that I will tell you in person as I feel if I documented it, it will come off as rather, disloyal to my mother and her plans. For now I will simply say that you are not among those that are in the running in that regard. My curiosity about dancing comes from Nanna telling me that there may be such events occurring, and at smaller parties here we are allowed to participate in such frivolities, as Lofn calls it. I enjoy it as much as the next person, why do you ask? Are you intending to ask me to dance with you?_

_ Your letter found me in good spirits but I must regard that the Jinn was not. I do hope you take care of him and treat him well. _

_ Lady Sigyn_

Finishing off the letter she handed it to the Jinn, who took it and flew off as quietly as a summers breeze, leaving Sigyn once again with her thoughts and time to figure out her plans piece by piece.


	26. Chapter 25: Don't trick a Trickster

**A/N: **Been a while I admit. I had to figure out how to shorten several chapters, and I came up with a way also out of a small delimma I wrote myself into. Hopefully people will like the twist that comes up in the near future.

Copyright: Loki, Sigyn, and all other members of the Marvel Norse Pantheon are owned by Marvel Comics, and were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Leiber, as well as Roy Thomas and John Buscema.

* * *

When the letter reached his hand the young prince considered just tossing it into the fire place. Her comments had been insufferable as she wasn't playing the game he was expecting her to play. Loki was sure that somehow the Jinn had gotten to her, convinced her of something, but what that was he wasn't sure.

"Damn me," he muttered to himself, convinced that Sigyn was now under the sway of the Jinn. He blamed it and the contemptible Amora as well, for the situation now at hand. The Jinn for using his magic on an unsuspecting girl, and Amora for getting him convinced in the first place that taking the thing was the right choice. When they had met in his room she had hinted at the jinn and that had made him want to get at it. He was the silver tounged prince, he figured he could convince it to follow along, play his game.

"Damn thing is cleverer then I took it for," Loki said getting up and going over to the desk where he kept the stone. He stared at it, a small crack had occurred on the side where he had zapped it with some energy. The action, as he recalled had hurt the Jinn, and it gave him pause. Picking it up he tossed the stone in his hand and some thoughts occurred to him.

_What would the Jinn want from Sigyn in the first place? _He thought, his green eyes watching the stone go up and down slowly as he caught and tossed. There were a few factors, for one thing she was the child of a goddess so maybe he assumed that he could gain some power that way, but the Jinn didn't seem the type to want to seek such things. The second matter was that she was the daughter of a dwarf, but that couldn't have to do with much of anything. Dwarves were known for having the ability to forge enchanted items, he knew that for fact as he'd seen several of them come his father's way, so it wasn't too far a stretch, however Sigyn didn't know about forging or enchanting items.

_Unless,_ Loki caught the gem mid throw and scowled looking at it muttering, "Unless he taught her or figured out something about her that even I haven't yet. But what could that be?"

Setting the green stone away back in its hiding place Loki made his way back over to his small study and pulled out several books. He flipped through them trying to remember her father's name.

"Iwaldi," he muttered, "I believe that was it."

He flicked though the pages, one after the next. Snow plinked upon his window, and the warm fire crackled, but the prince was far too into the reading that he didn't notice the noises from either of these. His eyes skimmed over page after page on the history of the dwarves, and were in the middle of a section on one of their first wars when a tapping finger broke his concentration and covered the word he was on. Loki looked up slowly to see the smiling face of his brother hovering close to his. Behind Thor Fandrel was sitting on a chair, while Balder was looking over the titles of books on another book case.

Loki raised his brow and shut the book, barely missing Thor's finger as he pulled it away.

"Something you want Thor?"

"Actually yes, Mother says you've been cooped up these past days and with the weather breaking from the storms…"

"She suggested that you take me out," Loki finished the sentence for Thor, who gave a short nod. He glanced at the sharp blue eyes of his brother; there was an excitement in there that he never fully understood. Thor was the type that enjoyed adventures, the idea of running recklessly over the plains and taking up any challenge that came to him. Loki on the other hand had always preferred quieter activities, though he could be no less bold or adventurous, and yet, at the moment, his thoughts were preoccupied with his dilemma. His game was falling out from under him, and he had to find a way to salvage it. That was his priority, not playing in the snow.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," he said shaking his head and Thor's smile fell slightly at that. Loki gave him a halfhearted grin, "You know I'm still in trouble and technically not allowed out, by Father's orders correct?"

"Paahh," Thor waved his hand, "You'll be with us, besides Mother insisted and as long as you don't go outside the castle grounds…"

Loki smiled some at his brother. Everyone figured that Thor was the stoic one, the one that wouldn't bend the rules. This wasn't true. He could be a clever trickster too when he wanted, but the blond boy preferred the idea of having fun other ways. The only time subterfuge ever came up was when it was against Odin, and even then it wasn't the level that Loki would like to take it to. "Bending the rules Thor? Tsk Tsk, what would Lady Sif think?"

"She'd probably tease him about it," laughed Fandrel as he tossed his legs over the arm of the chair, "I didn't know you had such a nice place Loki, been keeping things from us now?"

Loki snorted at the comment as the older boy stroked his growing beard. He walked over and pushed Fandrel's legs down then sat by the window, "Why would I tell someone who doesn't like to read about my collection of books? Besides it's my private room, Thor has one too you know."

"Yes but his isn't as nice as this one," Fandrel said and Thor raised his brows at this, and crossed his arms.

"What, it's not? You never do keep it as clean as this."

"That's because you and Hogun keep making a mess of it." Thor intoned narrowing his brow slightly. Balder chuckled at this and remarked pointedly.

"You also help in that mess Thor, although Hogun usually cleans up his mess himself."

Fandrel grinned, "This, ah yes, the pup has a point there. You do make as much of a mess as I do."

"Ha, I most certainly do not," Thor laughed at this and looked at Loki. "Tell them brother, when we were in the same room did I leave it messy?"

"Insufferably so," Loki said in a monotone voice as he went back to his reading. This made Fandrel burst out with a hearty guffaws. Thor snorted and placed a hand on his hip.

"Alright, do tell brother, how was I such a slob?"

Loki sighed, "If I tell you, will you three leave me in peace?"

"That depends on what you tell us," Fandrel said with a grin and Thor was close enough to _accidently_ thump him on the head gently. Fandrel winced but laughed as Balder shook his head and walked over to look at the book Loki held.

"What are you reading about, Loki?" asked the younger man and Loki motioned to the cover. Balder glanced down and read aloud, "The history of Nidavellir."

"The dwarves?" Thor inquired and sat down opposite Loki, "What interests have you in them? I thought you said that you would rather not set food in that land again."

"I have no intention to go there brother," Loki snapped, a bit to hasty he considered and changed his tactics. "I simply heard that there may be some delegates coming here to visit during the Spring and I wished to brush up on my diplomacy, that is all." He glanced back at the book, "And as for you being a slob, you always left your toys on my side of the room. You never cleaned up after yourself when you came in with mud, and more than once I found some random trophy of yours, a stick or a piece of fur, under my bed, hidden from the maids so that your …_collection_…and I do use the term loosely, would not be discovered and thrown out."

Thor turned a bit piqued at this, and Fandrel chuckled, "So why would he hide his collection under _your_ bed Loki?"

"Simple, because my bed was the cleaner one, and they knew that he would try to hid his ill-gotten gain under his." Loki explained, he was becoming exasperated and he still had the letter to answer. "Now could I have some time alone to read?"

"Right, fair enough," Thor said, wanting to not expose any more of his more embarrassing behaviors to his friends. He rose but Fandrel wasn't quiet done yet, he leaned on his knee looking at Loki as Balder headed for the door to wait for the other two, deciding to respect Loki's request as he had held up his part of the bargain, while Thor placed a hand on his friend's shoulder as he was sitting there, "Fandrel, come on. He kept his word, we shall keep ours."

"In a moment," Fandrel waved off the comment as he peered at the book, then at Loki, "Funny that you should suddenly take an interest in such matters, Loki."

"And why is that" He asked in a languid voice trying to disguise his annoyance. To most it would work, to Fandrel, Thor and Balder, they knew Loki too well and could feel the disquiet the boy had under the calm surface at the moment.

"Come, now, Fandrel," Thor insisted pulling him up off the chair by his shoulder, surprising Fandrel at first, though he quickly recovered and shook Thor off.

"In a moment, I promise," he told them and looked at Loki as he spoke, though the green eyed prince made no contact in return. "I heard that Lady Sigyn, sister of Lady Idunn was passing letters earlier this winter."

"And?" Loki inquired, bored with the questions and wanted to keep his private affairs his.

"And they were brought here to the castle," a smile came on Fandrel's lips and he nudged Loki's shoulder. Loki raised his brow, "We'll didn't you get them?"

"Get what? Letters from Lady Sigyn? Don't be foolish, she's the daughter of Lady Freya, a friend of Mother's. She is destined to be a handmaiden, what more would I want with that family…" he was saying when Balder's voice cut in, giving Loki pause.

"Don't you dare insult them," the boy's face was tinged with pink, his fist curled. "Don't insult them Loki."

"I wasn't about to," Loki said simply, and shrugged. He chided himself for forgetting Balder was in the room. That was another thing he would need to work on, memorizing the people around him better. Balder had, for lack of a better term, been hit by an incurable case of puppy love over Nanna, Sigyn's eldest sister and part of his mother's guard. Any insult towards Freya would be seen as one against Nanna in Balder's eyes, and he didn't want one of the few people that he could tolerate to be against him.

He shut his book as he spoke and made it clear that this was the last word on the matter, "I have not received letters from anyone, Fandrel, least of all Lady Sigyn. Not only that but my interest in her has become thin as of late, there are far more interesting people in the city, and besides that my business is my own. Now would you mind letting me read in peace?"

Fandrel sighed; there was no getting Loki to be truthful about the situation. He knew it had to be someone in the castle, even if it wasn't Loki he was curious, after all someone like him could be rather helpful in the case of romance, and who better to help a young man in love then Fandrel the dashing. He resolved to, when he found the recipient of the letters, teach them all his tricks. Waving his hand he let Thor pull him from the room, "Very well Loki, but I'll be watching to hear if you've been sneaking in and out."

"Leave him be Fandrel," said an embarrassed Balder taking up behind Thor who was just shaking his head. Thor glanced back in for a moment after the other two were securely from the room.

"Loki, Mother does want you to go out soon. She's worried about you."

Heaving another sigh Loki rolled his eyes to Thor and nodded his head. "Inform her that the next time you're going to take a ride I'll come with."

Thor smiled some, nodding then was gone in a blink shutting the door behind him. Alone with his thoughts Loki went back to reading and tapped his fingers on the sides of the book as he searched for information. The distraction had, in a strange way, given him thoughts of varying nature. Some he didn't quiet grasp yet, as he wasn't sure what to make of them. Those mainly had to do with Fandel's insistence upon knowing his private business; it hadn't really ever bothered him before because Fandrel was usually happy enough to brag about his romantic exploits that Loki never had to even breach that sort of conversation. On the other hand he was bothered with the fact that his mother wanted him out, which would mean someone was watching him and possibly may have noticed the Jinn. Then there was the fact that he was going to have to deal with Sigyn come the Yule. Things were becoming more complex for him as he flipped the pages.

_An easy answer if you please!_ He thought as he read more and more about the different dwarf factions, their families and the eventual uniting under a banner and king. The more he read, the more he was sure that Sigyn's father would be little connected. However he paused when he read about the craftsmen. She had said that her father was one too, but what caught his eye was the fact that they could create gems and shape stones. On top of that he knew that the Varin were well versed in magic, particularly enchantment. That set him wondering as he leaned back and set the book on his lap.

_What if…What if the Jinn knows of her blood line? If they cut gems and use them in their crafts, perhaps he figures that she could find a way to release him from his prison? But why would she agree to that?_ His eyes went over the page again, and on it was the image of a dwarf working over a fire, hammering away at his anvil.

Memories of their discussions slipped into his mind, and Loki recalled Sigyn mentioning to him at one point about her father having a place to his own where he could work on crafts. Loki's green eyes took in the image and he thought of her voice, how she described what she saw as a child in there. It seemed to him when she spoke of those moments she became someone different, full of joy and hope.

_Hope…_he thought, what was it she hoped for, what could she want? Then it fell into place for him, the puzzle pieces came together and he knew the answer. A laugh came from his lips, but that was soon replaced by a scowl. True he was pleased with himself, but he was also rather annoyed with his new toy. The Jinn was crossing a line that even he felt was a bit too far. If it was true, what he believed, that the Jinn had promised Sigyn her father for his freedom, she was going to be sorely disappointed.

He rose and headed back to his room. A new plan was what he was going to need. Let Sigyn have her plans with the Jinn, he would beat them both to it, even if it meant breaking some rules he had set for himself.

Grasping the letter in hand he headed for the desk and quickly composed a reply, one he was sure would tell him if his hunch was correct, and if it was, then he would move forward with his designs.

"No one tricks me," he muttered with a grin, and he was going to prove it.


	27. Chapter 26: Plotting

**AN:** A really short chapter as the next one will probably be long. I hope you enjoy. Debating if I should split this story into two or three parts?

_Copyright: All Marvel Characters are owned by Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Larry Leiber and their creators. I own nothing. _

* * *

The Jinn lay resting on her chair as usual when Sigyn slit open the letter and read it. It was clear from his tone that the prince wasn't happy, though he was keeping civil as possible.

_Dear Lady Sigyn, _

_ Your bite has come out quickly it seems gentle Sigyn. What reason do I have for receiving such accusations? I haven't fixed a time, only noting that promptness is something that is looked favorably upon by others. It seems I have mistaken that in you? Tell me I'm wrong, I would love to hear why. Time is simply a way to gauge how much we can do in a day, and for some of us, such as myself, there is much to do. It seems you have more time to waste on your own accord, do not waste it on mine. The Jinn is something that belongs to me, it is something that I feel you're becoming a far bit too attached to. Does this have anything to do with your Father? Discover him on your own time, or find out that information as you will, he belongs to me and I wish you to not keep him from his duties. _

_As of where he came from, does it really matter? He is here and is our messenger, does that not please you? If you wish to dance, you'll have to make do with those in the court. My brother and I normally do not attend the event as I said; we have to make due with our own fun, so I shall not be joining in on the dancing. _

_Yours in regard,_

_ Prince Loki_

Sigyn slowly put down the letter, he wasn't just being civil, and he was carefully masking anger that was welling up. She was sure he was mad, but not sure about what his ire had focused on. Her unwillingness to answer his question, her short tone when it came to the reply, the fact that she wasn't playing along as she had been before, or the fact that she now had the Jinn and wasn't following his rules about it? Each had a good enough reason to warrant his annoyance, Sigyn considered. Still there were two that could play at this game.

_Dear Prince Loki, _

_ Your tone of letter before, good prince was more than enough for me to comment. However, if I was rude to you than I apologize, and agree that promptness is important, and I do regret you wasting your time, I won't further keep you with long replies and shorten them as thus. _

_If you feel the Jinn is yours then why keep sending him out and about? Such creatures are elusive enough and don't need someone commanding them. As for my father, that is none of your business what does and does not have to do with him. My pleasure is taken from receiving your letters not from the way they are delivered. As for the event, well I do hope you enjoy your entertainment. _

_ Lady Sigyn_

With a last line and a quick dab of wax, she nudged the Jinn awake. He sniffed some, clearly not amused, but Sigyn didn't feel the time was right for amusements. She sat across from him. There was only two weeks till the Yule and they had to be ready by then with their plan. If she was to get the information about her father she needed information about Loki. The Jinn had mostly been forthcoming with some information about himself, but refused to disclose secrets in regard to his own freedom as he said that it could cost him more if he were to break the code that the Jinn's lived by.

Instead she had dealt with all sorts of talk of the world, but nothing that she could use and time was running out. Sigyn feared pushing him too much, worried that his anger would unleash a wrath that could call upon others of his kind, and more expedient was the noise such an act would make, causing her to be found out and him to be captured. Of course Loki would have no problems as who would believe a prince was behind this, even the one that most didn't trust. It would be she that would have to face the court, she that would have to deal with the punishments from both Odin and then her mother. Worse yet, she would humiliate her sisters, particularly Idunn and Nanna given their positions in the court.

The Jinn glanced up at her with sleepy eyes, then stretched and yawned.

"Why have you disturbed me child?"

"Because, there is only a few weeks till the Yule, and I wish to have you free by that night."

The Jinn nodded and sat up, "And so that you will have me meet my end of the bargain?"

"Aye," she nodded again and the Jinn looked at her seriously. "I gave you my word."

"Words mean very little," he said softly and Sigyn bit her lip. She wasn't sure what to make of him. Sometimes she was sure he would keep his promise, other times she was wondering if she should just tell someone what was going on and break her end of the deal, but she was already too deeply in and if she didn't go through with it she would regret her choice for years to come.

Again the Jinn observed her and then, taking a calming breath as if deciding something, waved his hand, beckoning her to ask her questions.

"You said to me once that your kind has a place to stay," the Jinn gave a short nod as Sigyn runched her skirt in her fists. "Where is yours located?"

"That I cannot tell you," her face dropped slightly.

"You don't know where it's at?"

"No, I do know where it's been placed, but I cannot tell you that location." He said shortly. "It is part of my obligation to the one that has my home."

"What is your home then?"

The Jinn smiled, it was a clever question. "You wish to seek it out then?"

"Yes. For me to find it, I need to know what it is."

"That I _can_ tell you," he said and waved his hand as if searching for something in the air, then grasped it, held his fist to her and slowly opened his hand to reveal a smoky green gem. Sigyn paused and reached out to touch it but the image just swirled as her fingers went through the stone. Pulling her hand away the Jinn looked at her. "This is my home. Memorize it, little Varin, for I will not show you it again."

"And Prince Loki has this?"

"Quite so," he said as she stared at the various designs of the gem. Scurrying over to her table she drew out a small bit of parchment then went back to her seat, after finding a charred bit of wood to use for a pencil, and began to scratch out the image she saw. The Jinn seemed inquisitive.

"What are you doing child?"

"Drawing it, so I won't forget," Sigyn explained and when she finished the Jinn pulled back the gem. "Where does he have it?"

"As I said I cannot say," the Jinn shrugged and leaned back. "How do you intend to get it?"

"With luck," Sigyn said slowly. "I need to know where he's keeping it. A location, a room, something, anything…can you tell me that at least."

Again he shook his head and she sighed. Her word was going to be hard to keep, to get the information she wanted she needed to free the Jinn, but first she needed to find the stone he was kept in, and, it seemed only Loki would be the source of that information.

_I can't just ask him, he won't tell me,_ she thought as she tapped the piece of blackened wood to her lip, leaving a mark of soot on the pink flesh. _There has to be another way…_

Glancing up she held out the letter to the Jinn. "Here, for you to take to the Prince."

He took it and bowed, "I shall return with news from him."

Sigyn gave a nod and watched as the Jinn shrank in size and flew out through a small space between her window and the wall. Once he was gone she began to pace, and wonder aloud as she did so.

"Another way…another way, but what other way is there?" she pondered as she walked back and forth around her room, her eyes fixed on the floor and mentally she counted her steps, it was a way to keep her mind free of anything other than what she wanted it to be on. "There has to be another way. But who would know about Loki? I can't ask my sisters, they would ask why I wanted to know…Theoric is out as well, he's already suspicious about my older correspondences. His mother perhaps, no, no…even I know that he wouldn't tell about the Jinn to anyone." –Sigyn paused and blinked –"The Jinn? The Jinn, he can't tell me, but Loki mentioned being in trouble. He must be in the castle, and if that's the case there are only a few that could be able to see him."

"Thor!" the idea hit her like a bolt of the young gods lighting. Thor was his brother, why had she not thought of it sooner. If anyone knew Loki's whereabouts it would be Thor. He would have seen his brother the most often and he would know where he was told he could go and not go. That would limit where she could look and then she could dig for answers from Loki himself if she had to.

Sigyn laughed as she hopped onto her bed, relieved suddenly of the tension that had welled up in her chest. Thor…yes the god of Thunder, he would be the answer to her problem one way or another.


End file.
